


Once upon a brat

by Fessst



Category: Suits (US TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - BDSM, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BDSM AU, Discipline, Dom Harvey, Dom/sub, Fluff and Smut, I mean - Brat Mike, Impact Play, Kink Negotiation, M/M, Power Play, Praise Kink, Predator/Prey undertones, Romance, Spanking, Sub Mike, Subdrop, more tags will be added as we go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-28
Updated: 2019-12-04
Packaged: 2020-09-28 16:10:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 62,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20428745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fessst/pseuds/Fessst
Summary: Once upon a time, in the land of Doms and Subs, there was abrat.Mike never fitted the description of an obedient, genial, eager to please sub. What more, he never wanted to fit it either. And if it meant going through life without a Dom, so be it. Easier to pretend to be vanilla then.That was till he met Harvey - a self-assured entitled Dom, who (for some inexplicable reason) kept affecting Mike's bratty persona like no one else before him.Will Harvey be able to bring genuine submission out of him? When Mike goaded Harvey into that bet, he didn't think it was possible, but once the Dom stepped into his role, Mike wasn't so sure anymore.





	1. Two latte macchiatos

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I'm late to fandoms. It's a thing!
> 
> I really liked some of the BDSM AU works I read on AO3 and decided to write my own. As usual, there is a different flavor in each and every universe. So we are going to discover the flavor of mine together.  
I guess it's kinda obvious, but I'll say it anyway - I twist and play around with canon as I see fit.  
Also, I assume, that you HAVE seen Suits. If you haven't and you are here just for the sexy tags, then go watch at least the iconic interview scene from the Pilot.

Once upon a time, in the land of Doms and Subs there was a _ brat _…

At least, that’s what everyone who had the pleasure of scening with Mike Ross, always called him. That is, before getting fed up with the obscenely pushy “wannabe sub”, and never replying to his messages again. Mike was not stupid. When the fifth Dom washed his hands off of him only after a week, he realized, it was not them - it was him. He was simply not your usual generic eager to please sub, that was always in demand. No, he had no desire to grovel in front of some douchebag, calling him Master, or Daddy or Sir, or whatever other nonsense the Tops demanded to be called, simply based on their genetic predisposition. Pompous pricks!

Mike has always been the smartest guy in the room. His analytical mind combined with eidetic memory and proclivity to devour books in one sitting, easily assured that he could outsmart any pretentious Dom, who felt superior simply because he “was born to order naughty subs around”. Well, fuck that. Mike, didn’t have much desire to submit in general, not willingly anyway, he would much rather _ be made to _. And no one stuck around long enough to do that.

Eventually, Michael gave up on the whole idea. Maybe he just wasn’t meant to be in a relationship. Besides, given the contempt he felt towards the majority of Doms, he was not likely to ever form any sort of decent relationship, anyway. Therefore Mike started claiming himself to be vanilla. He didn’t have to go through any special bureaucratic procedure you do when you want to change your sex. Thankfully, nobody had to openly share their dynamic, yet. Despite an ongoing lobby to make it a permanent record shown on a person’s ID, there was still enough liberal forces who vetoed such notions.

Mike glanced at the briefcase filled with weed, feeling the drops of sweat slowly emerge along his hairline. He was so not made for this. And this queue for coffee seemed to be taking forever…

“Erika, two latte macchiatos, one with caramel on top, please.”

Mike stared at the tall handsome Dom in a million-dollar suit, who had the audacity to cut the line right in front of him. _ Oh no, you don’t! _

“Hey asshole, there is a line here,” Mike told the Top, using his usual no-nonsense tone of voice which perfectly covered his dynamic for years - a mix between sarcastic Dom and irate vanilla.

The stuck-up white-collar barely even turned to cast Mike a condescending glance. “I’m late for a meeting,” he informed him calmly as if that was a reason good enough to shut Mike up, the raised eyebrow on a handsome face clearly indicating annoyance that Mike even dared to address him. _ Well, too bad, dickhead. _

"Well, I don't give a shit. You think that with that fancy suit and that ridiculous haircut screaming _ ‘I'm the most badass Dom in the neighborhood’ _ you have the right to disrespect people?" he snapped mocking the Top.

That finally won Mike the full attention of the Dom, his expression amused and mildly intrigued. He gave Mike a staredown from head to toe making him feel naked.

"Mouthy sub," he remarked, though it felt more as if he was complimenting Mike than trying to offend him. 

Mike scowled. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Just stand in the goddamn line." 

"Your latte macchiatos, Mr. Specter," Erika gave him the coffees making Mike feel stupid. Specter? As in Pearson - Specter? The very building they were in right now? Mike had a bit of spare time, so he went to the coffee place not far from the hotel he had the weed gig in. He frequented this café because they had nice coffee, superb muffins, and it was in the building of one of the most established law firms on the market. And apparently he just mouthed off to Harvey fucking Specter himself. Mike turned fifty shades of red. 

"Sorry puppy, being the most badass Dom in the neighborhood might not secure the privilege of avoiding standing in lines... but owning this place - does," Harvey commented with a vicious smirk, as he took his coffees and strolled past him with a wave of charming confidence. 

xxx 

* * *

xxx

_Stupid, stupid, stupid,_ was all that was going through Mike’s mind as he was running from the cops with the briefcase full of weed. Oh, he was so going to kill Trevor! When a tall pretty redhead called for Mr. Sorkin scolding him for being late and asking why should she even let him in, it took him a second to register that she was, in fact, addressing him. 

“Look, lady, I’m just trying to ditch the cops, ok? I don’t care if you let me in or not,” Mike replied, still out of breath from the running. But once the door opened and he stared straight at the handsome Dom who cut his line an hour ago, his pulse still managed to quicken. 

Mike pulled a face and Harvey’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Seriously?” the Dom asked, not even trying to hide his amusement. He glanced at Donna and her wink confirmed that this was indeed going to be a very interesting job interview.

“Mr. Sorkin, I hope you managed to get your coffee, in the end,” Harvey remarked with a cocky smile as he took a seat at the table. His laidback posture contrasted sharply against Mike’s rigid one. Even if Michael wasn’t on edge for almost getting caught with drug possession, Harvey’s good looks and easy confidence with which he held himself would still have flustered him.

“Despite all odds.” Mike forced himself to relax a bit in order not to draw suspicion. Once Harvey looked at the application form he would see the picture of real Rick Sorkin and then throw the impostor out - right into the waiting embrace of the police. And the douchebag that Specter was, he was likely to offer Mike his services as he did that, too. Mike had to stall the time. Or maybe land a job, since the weed trafficking didn’t work out for him and he still needed 25 grand for his grandma’s medical bills.

“And mouthing off to your potential future employer is the new strategy to nail a job interview?” Harvey inquired, his smirk not fading.

“You are not the type to be impressed by _nice._ If putting you in your place gets me in the room to impress you, then that’s what I do.”

Harvey’s eyes flashed from that exchange. He had to resist reaching out to grasp that defiant chin with his hand and trace his thumb over the mouth, which seemed to be quite brave for a submissive. And Harvey had no doubt that Mike, I mean Rick, was one. A bratty one, but submissive nonetheless. He leaned on his elbows bringing his face closer to Mike’s, locking his gaze with the sub’s and waiting for him to drop his. But Mike didn’t. Which actually DID impress Harvey.

“I think, the one who was put in his place, was you, puppy,” he countered, his tone mocking and by the glare Mike cast him, it did get to him. Harvey normally never used one’s dynamic against themself. It was highly unethical, especially in his profession. For such a thing, he could get thrown out of court within a second with a fat fine on top. But Harvey couldn’t help himself, the sub just pressed his Dom buttons so hard.

“That would be a 3k fine, Mr. Specter in the majority of courtrooms, and a 30 k fine and your license if you dared such a thing at Judge Sommers court 2 years ago in Williams VS Abernathy. But I will forgive you since you got it wrong both times.” Mike spoke with such confidence, that for a second there Harvey thought he did, in fact, guess his dynamic wrong, but then that defiant glare confirmed that Mike was just very good at playing the role.

“Fair enough, Mr. Sorkin. I apologize. However, you won’t persuade me that you are a Dom nor vanilla. Your contempt for Doms gives you away. And in court, it will be your death,” Harvey remarked and before Mike could argue, he added, “No, nobody will strongarm you, of course, but you WILL lose.”

Mike took a second to consider Harvey’s words. He never thought about it this way and the Dom might have had a point. It was not allowed to dominate in court, just as it wasn’t allowed to get sympathy by a played vulnerability. Nevertheless, he would definitely be at a disadvantage if his contempt for a certain dynamic showed in court. For one, the majority of judges were Doms. But Mike wasn’t ready to give up the argument.

“How can you be so sure I’m submissive?” Mike inquired folding his arms on the chest.

“It’s what I do, Rick, I read people,” Harvey replied crossing into familiarity again. Oh, he very much wanted to hire this handsome bratty sub, but for all the wrong reasons. It wasn’t unheard of for Harvey to sleep with his clients, but he tried to keep his workplace clean of relationships. It avoided trouble. And the young man in front of him screamed _ trouble _since already Harvey had a hard time keeping his hands off him. Nevertheless, the sub was smart and he seemed to be able to handle himself under duress - even under such a charming Dom as Harvey thought himself to be.

Mike snorted, his ego winning over the voice of reason. “Oh really? Well, tell me, Mr. Specter, if you read people so well, what’s in my briefcase? If you do a reasonable guess within, let’s say 5 tries, I will grant you, that you have me all figured out. But if you don’t, you will give me the chance to prove that I will be a better associate than any of those polished suits waiting outside.”

Harvey was genuinely surprised again. “You want me to gamble the job offer?”

“Aren’t you confident, Mr. Specter?” Mike dared him. Oh, this was SO not smart of him. Once Harvey failed to guess the weed in his suitcase, he will have all the reasons in the world to call the cops. The only positive outcome being Mike intriguing him enough to honor his word. Though Harvey could just as well hire him and then call the cops. Damn, from all the sass Mike gave him, many Tops would do just that and feel gratified.

“Copies of others’ application forms and CVs?”

Mike smirked. He guessed Harvey right, the man was all up for games, provided job position wasn’t costing him anything major and he could fire Mike during the trial period at any time. “No.”

“Information on Pearson-Specter? Or perhaps me, specifically?”

“No.”

Harvey’s smile didn’t falter, but it became tighter. Mike had to give it to the Dom. If it was a regular interview and he didn’t have an eidetic memory, perhaps that would be how he prepared for it.

“Financial documents? Mortgage perhaps?” Mike caught Harvey giving his suit a scornful look and felt slightly offended.

“No.”

“A case you are already working on.”

“No.” _ Would be nice though. _

Harvey took a moment considering his options. Of course, Rick could have been playing him to land a job, but that would be just plain stupid in the long run, and he felt that the boy was smarter than that. He threw his hands in the air in defeat and chuckled.

“Well by the looks of your suit you sure as hell are not carrying a suitcase full of money.”

Mike forced his expression into a pleased smirk, instead of the scowl that threatened to take over his face at the Dom’s arrogant demeanor. “That was actually the closest you got. But not close enough to consider it a win.”

Harvey frowned. “Well, fess up, Sorkin.”

Mike took the application of Rick Sorkin and handed it to Harvey with an impish grin. He waited as confusion changed into shock once the Dom finally noticed the picture, which didn’t have Mike’s face. The sub then offered his hand for a handshake.

“My name is Mike Ross, pleased to meet you. When do I start?” he chirped with fake excitement. He knew all too well, that Specter didn’t get his name on the wall by being ignorant.

And sure enough, the Dom ignored his hand, fixing him with a stern stare without a trace of the previous smile. “What’s in the suitcase, Michael?” His full name uttered in such a dominant tone sent a swarm of butterflies into Mike’s stomach. Harvey’s presence changed from friendly to highly authoritative and Mike was surprised to find that instead of annoying him, it both excited and scared him.

And scared he should be. Any minute now Harvey will find the drugs in his briefcase. The urge to flee was strong, but the stern gaze rooted him into his seat.

“Don’t make me repeat myself. Open it.”

Just like any other sub, Mike was affected by _ “The Dom voice”, _ though admittedly normally he had no trouble flipping the finger to anyone who dared to attempt to strongarm him. This time he felt that Harvey was very much within his right to do just that. After all, Mike just lied to his face throughout the whole interview and then dared the Top into giving him a job. His hands were obeying the command before his mind fully processed all the implications of doing so.

If Harvey was surprised by the weed, he didn’t let it show. His features didn’t soften either. However, he didn’t reach for his phone, didn’t grab Mike’s hand or call his secretary out loud. And that gave Mike the tiniest bit of hope.

“Very well, Mr. Ross. Now it’s time to explain what exactly did I just get myself into.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

“So let me get this straight, you took a drug trafficking job that could land you in prison for well over a decade, to get your grandma into private care?!” Harvey asked bewildered.

Mike scowled. This arrogant ass had no right to judge him! Forgetting that Harvey was still well within the possibility of calling the cops, he snapped, “Well not everyone is living the polished luxurious life without a care in the world. I did what I had to!”

Harvey’s expression turned to stern one again. “First, do NOT raise your voice at me.” His voice as calm as ever held a steel edge to it, which was enough to make Mike gulp. “Second, it was an incredibly stupid thing to do. And you are not going to argue with that one, because you are bright enough to know as much.” Harvey gave him the Look and Mike indeed didn’t argue. “And third, I wasn’t trying to offend you. I was merely surprised at your motivations which are more noble than one would expect.”

Mike flushed and fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably. It was so unlike him to act all _ subby _ in front of a Dom scolding him. Normally his smart mouth would argue to the point of humiliating the Top for even attempting to reprimand him. But for once he had actually nothing to say for himself.

“Anyway, as I said, it WAS very smart of you to ditch the cops the way you did. And you seem to be well versed in the law. However many people are, and we only hire from Harvard. While you, not only did not go to Harvard Law School, you haven't even gone to any law school. So I...”

Mike interrupted him. “That's a BarBri Legal Handbook right there, right? Open it up. Read me something. Anything.” When Harvey only tilted his head and gave him an annoyed look, Mike prompted him, “Humor me.”

Harvey’s doubtful expression didn’t change, however, he picked the book, opened it somewhere in the middle and read, “Civil liability associated with agency is based on several factors, including…”

“Including the deviation of the agent from his path, the reasonable inference of agency on behalf of the plaintiff, and the nature of the damages themselves.” Mike finished for him feeling gleeful at Harvey’s shocked expression.

“How…”

“I passed the bar,” Mike replied before Harvey could even finish his question. And normally it would irritate Harvey to be constantly interrupted, but right now he was too busy being impressed with his new employee. Cause he, sure as hell, was hiring him NOW.

“I passed the bar. I don’t recite the books though,” he argued as he glanced behind him to check whether there wasn’t some mirror Mike was using to read.

Mike’s smirk turned cocky. It felt so good to impress the stuck up Harvey Specter. “I told you. I like to read. And once I read something, I understand it, and once I understand it, I never forget it,” he explained the way his eidetic memory worked. “You give me this job and I will work as hard as it takes to school those Harvard douches and become the best lawyer you have ever seen.”

Harvey held his gaze for a couple of moments considering his words. “I can’t make you an associate without a degree. Though your job will essentially be that of associate, officially you will be a paralegal. MY paralegal. You prove your worth, we will think about financing the education for you.”

Everything inside Mike was jumping with glee, however, he didn’t let it show, instead he tilted his head to the side as if considering the offer. “I want a signing bonus. Twenty-five grand.”

Harvey’s lips stretched into a pleased smile, “Why should I?” Mike was pretty sure, that it wasn’t a decline, he just wanted Mike to give him a reason.

“Because you don’t want your personal paralegal getting the money the _ other _ way, getting caught and then dragging you and your company through the PR hell,” Mike replied smugly. He was glad to be given the chance for a smartass comeback. And by the proud smirk Harvey was giving him, he could tell that this Dom was all too happy to indulge in verbal sparring with a sub.

“Done.”

“And I want you to keep my dynamic to yourself and never to use yours against me,” Mike continued feeling brave to state his conditions.

Harvey laughed and shook his head. “No can do, puppy. I’m your boss and you will be subordinate regardless of your feelings towards Dominants. If I feel you are out of line, I won’t hesitate to reprimand you and I sure as hell won’t spare you simply because you have your vanilla act to keep up.”

Mike frowned. He certainly didn’t want to crumble under the strong Dom at work. That would be beyond humiliating. Not that he ever had that problem, but Harvey was different than other Doms. He could make him feel small with a single disapproving look and his dominance seemed to affect Mike like no other. Being disadvantaged at one’s workplace based on one’s dynamic was a common occurrence in many professions. And law was a heavily Dom dominated field. Not that there weren’t any famous Switch or vanilla lawyers, but Mike had a hard time thinking of a single sub one. Such info was of course never provided by the serious professionals, it was more of a tabloid gossip that leaked here and there.

Watching the turmoil written all over Mike’s face Harvey’s expression softened. “How many subs do you think work in Pearson-Specter?”

Mike cast him an annoyed look. If that upstart was going to point out how he was not fit for the job because of his dynamic, boss or not, he was gonna get an earful.

“One? Two? Zero?” he grumbled folding his arms on the chest, fully ready to have that argument.

Harvey’s smile broadened, “I don’t know, “ he said simply, “And that’s the point. Nobody cares. It’s not important as long as you do your job well.” When Mike gave him a reluctant smile, he added, “However, don’t expect to be coddled. Law companies are not known for their friendly environment. Long hours. High pressure. Hungry, competitive people. You will need that sass-mouth of yours to survive. And I will expect you to stand your ground and to make me look good in the process.”

“You got it,” Mike replied cockily. “Anything else?”

“We drug test,” Harvey informed him matter-of-factly. The implications of such were rather obvious for him not to elaborate further. Mike pulled a face but nodded.

“You start on Monday. Be on time,” Harvey waved his hand in dismissal but as Mike was approaching the door he called him, “And Michael…”

“It’s Mike,” Mike automatically corrected, then realized it might be not particularly respectful towards his new employer.

“Mike,” Harvey conceded surprising him, “Buy a new suit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC
> 
> Hope you liked=)


	2. First impressions

Mike straightened his tie as he entered the building he had visited many times before. Never as an employee though. He considered stopping by for his coffee, but then thought it would show too much comfortable familiarity, that somebody who was the first day at work was not supposed to portray. First impressions did matter, after all.

The elevator doors opened and Mike was thrown into the swirl of classic workday of the big law company. People were running around carrying files, well not exactly_ running _ , let’s call it _ fast-paced graceful walking_. The sounds of printers, phones and the generic buzz of people talking, were completing the image of an ambitious work environment Mike was now a part of.

“Mike Ross?” Mike turned to see a very pretty, curvy brunette approaching him. “I'm Rachel Zane, I'll be giving your orientation.”

“Wow, you are beautiful,” he breathed out surprised. Mike generally preferred men - tall, broad-shouldered, dominant, with that playful smile that Harvey always had…Ehem, anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Mike liked men, but this tempting femme fatale got even him interested.

Rachel started walking without even waiting for Mike. “Good. You hit on me. We can get it out of the way that I am not interested,” she replied matter-of-factly not at all flustered by the compliment. _ Definitely not a sub. _

“Why not?” Mike inquired with a flirtatious grin, as he tried to keep up with her pace.

She cast him a calculating glance trying to guess him out. “You are cute,” she conceded, “But not my type.”

“And what’s your type?”

“Somebody, who doesn’t ask such questions,” she shot back with a smile. Rachel continued showing him where stuff was, giving short instructions and useful pointers. She was smart and had a sharp tongue, Mike liked her right away.

“And, finally, this is where you'll live,” she pointed at his cubicle. Small, in the middle of the room, on display. Not something Mike would consider comfortable working conditions.

“How ..uhm.. cute. Where’s yours?”

Rachel shot him a haughty smirk, “I have an office.” With that, she turned on her heel ready to walk away from the jealous and quite impressed new colleague.

“One question,” Mike called after her. When she turned, he grinned, “How do you like your coffee?” Mike had to make friends at work. With no legal work experience, he will definitely need help, and Rachel was a perfect candidate.

“Number 15. With extra vanilla,” she said with a wink and left. Mike’s eyes lingered on those juicy hips emphasized by a tight skirt. She will make someone very happy one day. Still smiling he headed to Harvey’s office. 

xxx

* * *

xxx

The floor didn’t seem so big, and yet Mike still felt a bit lost, walking back and forth in circles in search for his new employer. He was ready to completely humiliate himself and do something as unmanly as ASK FOR DIRECTIONS when suddenly he saw the pretty redhead he remembered from the interview, which confirmed that he was, in fact, going in the right direction.

“Ah, Mr. Sorkin, we meet again,” she told him teasingly.

“That’s not my…”

“I know. You can go, he is already there.”

But Mike was in no rush. Instead of going inside, he leaned against her desk casually and put on one of his best charming smiles. “Hey, and what’s your name?” 

“It’s Donna.” The redhead tilted her head, giving him an _ “aw, you think you can impress me? that’s cute” _expression. “Go on. Mr. Grey will see you now,” she joked prompting him into Harvey’s office.

Mike cast her an annoyed look, “That’s like the most boring vanilla movie out there,” he commented opening the door.

Harvey was talking on the phone when Mike entered the office. The Dom didn’t even acknowledge him, so Mike just sat down on the sofa glancing around curiously. Perhaps one day, he will have such a cool office himself. Well, a week ago even having a cubicle at Pearson-Specter was something beyond Mike’s wildest imagination. But you know what they say - appetite comes with eating.

“You are late,” Harvey stated. Though there was not a trace of disapproval in that remark.

Mike frowned checking his watch. “It’s only 7:45, we work from 8:00.”

“I’m already here. Which means you should have been here before me,” Harvey commented matter-of-factly.

_ Right, and I should have magically learned your inner timetable. _ Mike opened his mouth ready to argue, but the raised eyebrow on Dom’s face silenced him. “Got it.”

“Good,” Harvey nodded, satisfied that his new protégé knew when to hold his tongue. “Now, see this pile on the desk?” he pointed at the stack of files and papers at least half a meter tall. “All yours.”

Mike gave Harvey a curious look. “Are you trying to drown me in work?”

“Yes. Either learn to swim, or die like a man. I’m not interested in whining or complaints.”

“But I never did any…”

“Aren’t you Albert friggin Einstein? Figure it out,” Harvey told him mercilessly. Mike expected that it was gonna be tough. But he hoped for some guidance along the way. Now it was clear that Harvey was giving him some kind of pressure testing to see if he can manage. _ Well, bring it on, fucker! _

“You have till the end of the week. Priority is Jefferson, Dawn, O’Brian, McCarthy, Mason,” The Dom added, his tone all businesslike.

Mike nodded. “So when latest do you need Jefferson?”

“Just give me everything on Friday,” Harvey replied waving his hand. None of this was urgent, he would not entrust a first-day rookie with something of importance.

Mike narrowed his eyes. “Why give priority, if you don’t need anything before Friday?” he inquired and then answered himself. “You don’t think I can do it, do you?”

Harvey tilted his head to the side savouring the pouty look on the sub. He looked so cute. “Prove me wrong, Hotshot,” he said with a warm smile.

Before Mike could reply something obnoxiously cocky, Donna entered the office, her expression betraying that she was not a bearer of good news. “Chapman canceled the meeting.”

Harvey’s face immediately lost its warmth. “What?! Why?” Donna only shrugged. The Dom grabbed his phone, “Ray? Yeah, sorry. I need you to come back, we have a situation.”

“Chapman, as in Aroldis Chapman, the baseball player?” Mike asked but was ignored by both Harvey and Donna. “I could…”

“No, you have work to do, “ Harvey cut him off pointing at the pile. The Dom took his jacket and patted Mike on the shoulder, “Be good,” he said casually as if he was talking to his submissive, rather than his new employee. And Mike would have been annoyed at this treatment if he didn’t feel such a pleasant flutter in his belly at those words.

And just like that Mike was left alone in the office with nothing but a stack of papers to keep him company. Damn, why didn’t Harvey listen? Pursuing Chapman seemed like a way more exciting prospect for Monday morning than doing some boring paperwork. Mike sighed as he took the heavy pile and carried it to his cubicle. Of course, the stuck-up Specter thought nothing of Mike. Eidetic memory didn’t actually prove capability, only potential. And Mike knew as much. If he wanted to be heard, he will have to earn the Dom’s respect first. He will prove Harvey wrong and next time, he will make him listen to what he had to say.

When Mike got to his cubicle, he had a visitor waiting for him. “Louis Litt,“ the man introduced himself without a trace of a smile. “I know you had orientation from Rachel but... I wanted to give you a special welcome from me. Um, amongst other things, I'm sort of the disciplinarian of the associates.”

“I’m not an asso…”

“Doesn’t matter. Listen here, Dommy-boy. I don’t care how confident you are. Here you are NOTHING... Till you prove otherwise. Or better yet, IF you prove otherwise.”

Getting hate for being a Dom was definitely a new experience for Mike, so he tried to correct Louis once more, “I’m not a D…” 

“And there you go again, thinking you are allowed to interrupt me. Zip it!” Louis punctuated his words by closing an imaginary metal zip with his hand. “I may be a Switch but I’d outdom you any day of the week, boy. You fuck anything up and the whooping you will get will make your head spin.”

Mike listened to the rant with a painfully forced calm expression that turned into a disturbed one against his will. Certainly, they were not allowed to physically punish employees, right? That would be positively medieval.

“Figure of speech,” Louis reassured him.

_ No shit, Sherlock. _

“Your head will be fine.”

_ Oh, Fuck You. _ And Mike almost said it out loud, if Louis wasn’t already walking away leaving him speechless. _ What the fuck was that? _He looked at the other associates and they were all barely containing their laughter, muttering something about getting 'Litt up'.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Harvey generally wasn’t one to play well with others. He was the best closer in New York and he worked alone. But right now he wished he had someone he could rely on. Right now everything was going wrong. Chapman bailed on him and was nowhere to be found. And Harvey just knew that it must have been Tanner’s involvement. The dickhead was always out to get him. And Harvey DID try to make nice. But Tanner’s ego was probably even bigger than Harvey’s. So no. They were never gonna be friends. It was just not meant to be. And now Jessica was giving him crap for it too. Grilling him first thing in the morning. As if it was HIS fault.

In a foul mood, Harvey passed through the office. He only managed two hours of sleep tonight and he was tired. Suddenly Harvey remembered that he had a new associate, pardon paralegal. Jesus, he totally forgot about Mike! What day was it today? Wednesday. Damn, he should have checked up on the kid sooner. Harvey cursed under his breath and made his way to the associates' room. But Mike was nowhere to be seen, his cubicle a mess of papers. That’s weird. Harvey checked his watch. It was half-past eight. Ross should have been at work by now. Shaking his head he went to his office.

“Donna, let me know when the rookie arrives, he has a dressing down incoming,” Harvey grumbled into the intercom.

“Well, hopefully, this will soften you up then,” Mike replied with a cheeky grin appearing in front of Harvey out of nowhere with Latte macchiato in his hands - exactly the same one the Dom ordered on the day of Mike’s interview.

Harvey accepted the coffee, secretly very pleased but only allowing his face to soften the tiniest bit. “Maybe,” he conceded, “That depends.” Coffee still didn’t explain why Mike wasn’t at his workplace.

“Well, how about this then,” Mike handed him the baseball cap of New York Yankees. The self-satisfied smirk the sub was wearing was doing wonders to Harvey. He wanted to dominate the brat so badly. Put him on his knees and stuff that defiant mouth with…_ Oh, don’t go there! _

“You learned how to google. Congratulations,” Harvey commented dryly. Mike still didn’t give him an excuse for why he was absent. And cheap merchandise of his favorite team was not going to placate him.

But Mike’s smirk didn’t falter. “Turn it around.”

Harvey did. On the back of the cap, written with a black marker, was a phone number and initials A.C_._ _That couldn’t be... right?_

“Call him. He will pick up this time.” Mike added barely containing his giddiness. As soon as he realized that he had leverage on Chapman, he couldn’t wait to see Harvey’s face when he learned that it was Mike, who solved his problem and landed him a new client.

Harvey called the number and Chapman indeed picked up. “I’m sorry, Harvey. There were some issues. But I will see you on Monday. You can prepare the contract,” Mike heard Chapman’s voice. 

Harvey was shocked. He had no idea what did Ross do, but he wanted to marry him. “How?” he asked, forgetting to hide his astonishment.

“I passed entrance exams for his brother,” Mike replied. And watching Harvey’s confusion he added, “It was a side job of mine. Getting people into Ivy League schools.”

“You blackmailed him?” Harvey wasn’t really an epitome of morals himself, but he would like to think that he wouldn’t have to blackmail people into hiring him.

“No. I simply reminded him, how smart I am, and that now I’m working for you. And that with two of us, he would never find a better deal.” The sub’s grin was contagious and Harvey didn’t even notice when did his lips stretch into the pleased smile. They must have done it all on their own without his consent.

“Nice.”

Mike’s eyes popped out in protest funnily. “Nice? I think what you meant to say was:_ Mike, you really saved the day there. I was wrong not to listen to you and I couldn’t wish for a better… _”

“Now listen here, Hotshot,” Harvey cut him off unamused. The brat was forgetting himself! “You were given specific work. If you think that you can go behind my back and decide what work you are going to do, then you are sorely mistaken!”

“Oh, you mean this work?” Mike gave Harvey a file. “Or perhaps this work?” Another file. “Oh wait, maybe this work?” The third pack of papers landed with a thump. “Almost forgot, surely you meant this work.” He handed Harvey the fourth folder. It was actually not all that hard, once he started following Harvey’s priority system, he realized that it was a learning curve for him. When he finished Jefferson, other things were simply building upon the stuff he had learned. And Rachel helped him too.

“And McCarthy?”

“Already on your desk since morning,” Mike pointed at the desk with a cocky smirk. And then Harvey noticed just how tired the sub actually looked. God knows how he managed to do all that in only two days and got him a client on top.

“Is this _ ‘the silence of amazement _’, that I’m hearing?" Mike commented straining his ear towards Harvey mockingly, "Cause it’s deafening!”

Harvey chuckled giving Mike a playful shove, “Get out of here, brat!”

Mike’s smirk turned victorious, “Never heard _that one_ before,” he said sarcastically, heading to the door. And truth be told, he actually didn’t. Of course, he was called a brat many times before, but never with such warmth and affection in the voice.

As Mike went out, Donna came in holding her own signature Latte Macchiato with caramel on top.

“How did he do it?” Harvey asked her, watching Mike through the glass wall. The sub was jumping every couple of steps chanting “Who did a good job? I did a good job. Who did a good job? I did a good job.” like an absolute dork. Harvey and Donna exchanged amused glances.

“He never left. He was here for 48 hours straight,” Donna explained.

“What is he? A robot?”

Donna tilted her head to the side, “Why? Are you impressed?” she teased him.

“Yes. With myself for hiring my own personal transformer,” Harvey replied haughtily.

“Well, if you don’t send Bumblebee home to sleep, you will break your new toy,” she remarked, her expression growing serious, and Harvey nodded in agreement.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Harvey found Mike in his cubicle… sleeping on his desk. The associates around were sending Mike sympathetic glances and some were barely containing their mirth. Well, the rookie just got caught sleeping at his workplace by none other than Harvey Specter himself. That would normally land anyone in trouble. Of course, they didn’t know how pleased Harvey was with his puppy, I mean his sub… damn! His paralegal! And Mike looked so cute and peaceful. Harvey shook his head masking his gooey expression into a displeased one. His associate is sleeping at work, by all means, he should be displeased!

Harvey cleared his throat but Mike didn’t even stir. _ Maybe I should just kiss the Sleeping Beauty into awareness. _But of course, Harvey could do no such thing, so instead, he smashed a file against Mike’s desk loudly. The sub jumped on his seat startled and cast Harvey a panicked sheepish look.

“I wasn’t…” Mike tried to deny the obvious.

"New rule of employment. You get yourself at least 6 hours of sleep every night, unless you were authorized by me, that you don't have to," Harvey told him sternly.

"What? You can't do that!" the sub exclaimed, the indignation written all over his face.

"I can. I'm your boss, I set the rules."

Mike frowned. "That's against the law."

"Then sue me," the Dom sneered. "You work for me, my rules apply. You don't like them, you can walk away." That was harsh, and Harvey hoped that Mike was not going to throw a fit and do just that. He knew that he should have praised the sub instead of publicly lambasting him. Mike did an outstanding job and deserved better. But Harvey just wasn’t one to give praise easily. And he needed to be firm about Mike not going overboard when it was not necessary.

However, Mike’s expression didn’t turn defiant as Harvey expected. Perhaps he was really too tired to fight. Instead, Mike looked sad and sulky. "Is it really so hard to admit that you were impressed?"

Harvey steeled himself to remain stern. "Impressed? You are here to make me look good and make my life easier. You don't make me look good by looking like_ this _ and falling asleep at your workplace,” he scolded the sub crossing his arms on the chest. “And you sure as hell won't make my life easier, when you end up in a hospital and labor union eats me alive for overworking you. So go home and sleep."

Mike dropped his gaze guiltily and muttered a “yessir” as he got up and started collecting his things. It was such a submissive response - one, Harvey thought, he will never hear from Mike. Some subs lapsed into the sub-mode automatically whenever the strong Dom was around, but Mike was definitely not one of those to let his submission be known or seen. He must have been really exhausted to let his guard down like this, even though only Harvey was close enough to hear it. Harvey felt like the biggest asshole in the world, wanting nothing more than to cradle the sulky boy in his arms, shower him with affection and kiss all the pouting away.

"Mike," Harvey called him, words of praise tingling his lips. _ Tell him he did a good job. Say you are proud. Or ask him out. Jesus, just say something nice! _"Be on time." ... _ Pussy! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On the side note - I know absolutely nothing of baseball, I literally just googled random player.  
Hope you enjoyed the chapter=)


	3. Crossing the lines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I play around with the plot of the first two episodes of S1. Again, I write on the pretense, that you remember them, so if anything is confusing, let me know.

Mike tried to hit the elevator button and failed miserably, as it kept escaping his finger. Why did they make the buttons so squirmy? Why couldn’t they just stay in place and let themselves be pressed?

After Mike landed Harvey the client and proved his worth, Harvey rewarded him with his very first case. It was a pro bono case on sexual harassment. Harvey guided Mike every step of the way and at the same time left him enough room to do things on his own and come up with his own solutions. It was perfect. They won the case, righted the wrong done to the lady, who was wrongfully terminated and had a lot of fun in the process. Mike might have had an eidetic memory, but Harvey had perfect instincts, colossal balls and loads of experience. He was a kickass lawyer and Mike couldn’t help but admire the handsome Dom.

But right now things seemed to spiral out of control. First Mike failed to file a patent in time and lied to Harvey about it, which resulted in a huge setback in launching the product for their client. Harvey scolded Mike but ultimately took the fall himself, leaving the sub with instructions on how to solve the problem. And Mike intended to do just that if it wasn’t for Louis.

Now instead of doing the work he was assigned by Harvey, he was standing in front of an elevator, high as fuck, failing to press the button. Louis blackmailed him into smoking pot. No. First, he fired a person right in front of Mike, which was quite a horrifying experience on its own. Then Louis forced Mike to accompany him to the tennis club and presented him the failed drug test Mike took the day before, using the results to blackmail him into smoking weed with Tom Keller to get him to sign with Pearson Specter.

Mike took the interference claim that Louis pawned off to Gregory while he tortured Mike with tennis, and went to see Harvey. He blinked several times willing the world to fall back into focus before entering the office.

Harvey was on the phone and cast him an annoyed look. “How many times do I have to tell you? You don’t barge in here when I’m on the phone,” he chided, finishing the call.

“Sorry, I brought the interference claim,” Mike replied, not at all feeling apologetic but playing it safe.

“Any troubles?” Harvey asked, taking the document and scanning it briefly.

“Nope. All good.” Mike lied. He wasn’t the one to do it, after all.

Something in his voice must have given him away because Harvey suddenly gave him an inquisitive look. “Why are you so flushed?”

“I am?” Mike played dumb.

“Your face is red,” the Dom observed.

“Louis took me to the tennis club and tortured me with his presence all morning.” And that was not a lie.

“Then when did you proof the interference claim?” Harvey’s voice suddenly got a steel edge to it. And Mike practically heard his belly drop. Getting caught in a lie twice in one day - a big no-no. Being high on top of that? Harvey was going to fire his ass on spot! His palms started sweating and Mike wasn’t sure whether it was the weed or the nerves. 

Harvey closed the distance between them in two quick strides and studied Mike’s face, grasping his chin and forcing him to look him in the eyes. “Look at me,” he said sternly when Mike attempted to drop his gaze. “Your pupils are dilated. You are high,” he stated, his tone cutting.

“I…” Mike didn’t know what to say.

“Get out.” Harvey didn’t grace him with another look, his face betraying the full extent of his displeasure.

_ That’s not fucking fair! _“No!” Mike snapped, not moving from his place. He found it surprisingly hard to defy the dominant command, but he was not going to back down. He might be high, but it wasn't his fault and he WILL make Harvey understand that.

“It was not a request, Michael,” Harvey hissed, the use of his full name proving just how angry the Dom was with him.

“You have to hear me out. I had no choice. Louis made me do it,” Mike shot back, standing his ground. But his argument seemed to only infuriate Harvey further.

“Louis made you smoke pot?”

“Yes, he did! He showed me my…”

But Harvey didn’t let him finish. “Who do you work for?”

“I failed the drug test, Harvey. And just this morning Louis fired a person right in front of me! I had no choice!”

“Who do you work for?” the Dom repeated, putting more force into his voice.

“He said he will fire me otherwise! I know he can! I checked!” Mike retorted, irritated with the lack of understanding from the Dom.

“WHO do you work for?!” Harvey thundered, stopping Mike’s further rant.

“You, Harvey,” the sub replied meekly.

Harvey’s face didn’t soften. “And what did I tell you to do today?”

“Run an interference claim,” Mike replied feeling like a little boy who got caught red-handed on misbehavior. It’s been a while since he felt so incredibly submissive. But this was not a scene. They were not playing. This was his job!

“So you disregarded my instruction, ran off with Louis to play tennis, got high in the process, and then LIED to my face about doing the interference claim?” Harvey finished mercilessly.

“That’s not what happened!” Mike exclaimed, his voice edging on whiny, the frustration getting the better of him.

“Get out, Michael, I don’t want to see you till you are sober!” Harvey ordered him, using his domination to force the sub to obey him.

_ So much for being heard. _“No! You are being ridiculous!”

_ Uh-oh. _Harvey was in full Dom-mode. And when he was in such a mood he definitely didn’t like to be defied. He grabbed Mike by the collar bringing his face just inches away from Mike’s, making the sub’s heart rate shoot through the roof.

“Michael, if you are not out of here in the next 5 seconds, I swear, I’m going to put you over my knee and spank you right here, for the whole office to see!” he hissed menacingly, the threat bringing a rosy blush to the sub’s cheeks. The hurt expression on Mike’s face almost made Harvey apologize right away. He knew he crossed the line there. He had no right to use his dynamic against Mike like this. Harvey would never threaten to spank any other employee. That was an intimate punishment reserved for lovers, it had no place in work interactions.

Mike all but fled the room after that. Harvey caught Donna’s disapproving stare and cursed under his breath. She didn’t even have to say anything and he knew it was not Mike’s behavior that she disapproved of, but his. Damn her for always listening and catching Harvey at his worst.

Well, he was provoked, ok?! He expected better from Mike. He expected loyalty. The sub was HIS paralegal. He should have been doing work that Harvey assigned him, not Louis! Harvey wasn’t sure what made him so possessive of Mike and why did he feel so triggered by an employee prioritizing other work over his. But he was not gonna dwell on it now. Now he had Louis to deal with.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Harvey found Luis in the bathroom washing his hands. “I just had an interesting conversation with Mike Ross,” he told the man, willing his tone to remain neutral.

“Oh, let me guess. The little wimp came crying to daddy?” Louis retorted arrogantly. Harvey saw red. With no regard to who might see them, he bodily pinned the shorter man against the wall with a slam.

Louis was clearly caught off guard by such uncharacteristically violent behavior from his coworker. “Harvey? What the fuck are you doing?!”

But Harvey was too angry to pay attention to just how inappropriate he was behaving. He pressed his forearm against Louis’s throat with force, partially cutting off the air intake. “No Louis, what the fuck are YOU doing?!” he bellowed, “Forcing Mike to smoke pot? Blackmailing him? Threatening him? Firing people in front of him?”

Louis got very red in the face, “Har..vey,” he rasped, trying to catch a breath. Harvey finally let go and Louis started coughing. The Switch massaged his neck with his hands casting Harvey scared glances.

“Louis, I don’t care how much you hate me or how much you want to have your name on the wall. If you mistreat MY associate ever again, not only you will be gone from this company, you will be gone from this city too, because I’ll make sure you won’t find a job within a 200-mile radius. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?”

Louis nodded vigorously, too scared to do anything else. He had never seen Harvey so mad, and he certainly knew how to press the Dom’s buttons.

Harvey left the bathroom, his ire somewhat subdued, but still highly irritated. _Great!_ First, he inappropriately threatened Mike, now he inappropriately threatened Louis. _I'm on fire today._ He went back into his office and sat down brooding over things that happened. He ignored his phone, that kept ringing for several minutes, before simply switching it off in annoyance.

Donna appeared 10 minutes later, bringing him coffee and casually sitting down next to him. For a while, she didn't say anything, simply sipping on her coffee and keeping Harvey company.

“Is Louis alive?” she finally broke the silence, keeping her face serious.

That won her a chuckle. “I threatened to get him fired,” the Dom replied.

Donna raised an eyebrow knowing that it couldn’t be the whole story. “Just that?”

“Well, I might have also strangled him a bit,” he admitted reluctantly.

“You strangled him… a bit…” Donna repeated the ridiculous statement, giving Harvey a pointed look.

“I know. I know. I was out of line. But apologizing now would defeat the purpose. I don’t want him to bully Mike.”

“You should apologize to Mike though,” she said matter-of-factly.

“No,” Harvey shot back sullenly, “Mike deserved to be reprimanded.” 

“Then why did you go and threaten Louis if you don’t believe that Mike was telling the truth?” she parried with a raised eyebrow.

“I do believe that Mike was telling the truth. Louis didn’t deny it either. Still, Mike is MINE! He should prioritize me!” Harvey hoped, that Donna will not point out that Mike actually wasn’t his sub and that Harvey had no right to act so possessive.

“It’s not all about YOU, Harvey,” she told him with exasperation. “Mike thought he had no choice.”

“Of course he had a choice. He could have... No, he SHOULD have come to me!”

“And whose fault do you think it is, that he didn’t?” she countered crossing her arms on her chest. Harvey opened his mouth to argue and then closed it again. Donna was right. If his employee didn’t trust him enough to ask for help, it was not Mike’s fault that he didn’t. It was Harvey’s, for failing to build that trust.

Harvey threw his hands in the air in defeat. “I hate it when you are right!” he grumbled sulkily.

Donna laughed patting his shoulder, “That’s what you pay me for.” She took a small paper from the pocket of her dress and placed it in front of Harvey.

“What’s this?”

“Mike’s home address.”

Harvey cast her an annoyed look. “Do you want me to bring him flowers too?” he snapped with sarcasm.

“Whatever works for you,” she replied unaffected, standing up. “You care about Mike. So go and make it right.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike was zoning out to some TV show about cooking when he was brought back to reality with a knock on the door. _ Must be the pizza delivery. Finally! _He jumped off the couch, grabbed his wallet and ran to answer the door eagerly.

“Finally, I couldn’t wait…” he trailed off when he opened the door and instead of a pizza courier he was met with Harvey’s surprised face.

“Wow, didn’t know you felt this way. I would’ve come sooner,” the Dom teased, watching the flushed sub with satisfaction. “Are you expecting somebody?”

“Pizza.”

“Great, I’m hungry,” Harvey commented with a smile, “Can I come in?”

Mike finally overcame the initial shock of seeing Harvey at his door, “Oh right. Sorry. Please come in, Harvey. I… uhm, didn’t expect visitors,” he stuttered, as he ran around trying to clean random stuff.

Harvey seemed to relish in his discomfort, picking up the weed pipe with a playful smile. Mike snatched it from his hands and his face grew even redder. “I’m at home, alright?”

Harvey chuckled, taking mercy on him, “Chill, Mike, I’m not here for an inspection.” The Dom took a seat on the sofa and opened his briefcase, taking papers from it. “We have work to do.”

Mike looked at him dumbfounded, then glanced at the clock on the wall which was showing half-past ten pm. “Work?”

“Yes Mike, I don’t pay you for slacking. Come, we still have Wyatt's situation to figure out.” Harvey replied, patting the sofa next to him. Mike couldn’t believe it. Harvey came to his home at night and brought paperwork so that they can work on it together? 

“So I’m not getting fired?” the sub asked, still hesitating.

Harvey cast him a warm smile, “No Mike, you are not getting fired,” he reassured him.

Mike took a seat next to the Dom, “Listen, Harvey, I really am sorry, I know I shouldn’t have… and I let myself get cornered and…”

Harvey waved his hand to silence the badly phrased apology, “It’s alright, you are forgiven. I crossed a line today as well and I apologize for it.” Mike would never expect mighty Harvey Specter to apologize to him, especially since the Dom kept claiming how he didn't care about Mike. Not that Mike believed him for a minute.

“However, I warned you, that it’s not a friendly environment. The better you get, the more people will try to fuck you over. Although, in this case, Louis had a beef with me, so he targeted you, to get back at me. It will happen again, so you will have to figure out how to deal with him.”

“How? He is a senior partner and I’m a paralegal on a trial period.”

“By thinking outside the box, for starters,” Harvey remarked handing him a piece of paper.

“What is it?” Mike asked, then looked at the paper and his eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. It was his drug test, however, the result was different. “But this says, I passed it.”

“Yes, Mike. Louis played you.” Harvey confirmed the obvious, “Now, I understand there was probably a reasonable doubt, that you actually could have failed it and that’s why you believed it so easily. Next time you will be better prepared.”

“That fucker!” Mike grunted frowning, “Sorry. But Harvey, me and Louis still play in different leagues here.”

“But you are not playing alone, Mike,” Harvey told him, putting his hand on Mike’s shoulder, “I won’t be fighting your battles for you, but I promise to listen and intervene if necessary.”

Mike’s lips spread into a grateful grin. He felt like kissing Harvey, but of course, he couldn’t do that. Harvey was his employer. Besides, the Dom wouldn’t even want it, right? Unless…

This line of thought was interrupted by another knock on the door. Mike grabbed his wallet for the second time and went to fetch the pizza.

“I hope you are fine with pepperoni and cheese,” he said offering the slice to the Dom.

“It’s fine,” Harvey replied, his face growing serious once more, “One more thing, Mike. I don’t appreciate being lied to. You make a mistake, you better god-damn own up to it, and you will get an opportunity to make it right. You lie to me instead, and I might fail to provide you with one.” He took a bite of pizza and put his attention back to work, “So, now we have two options about Wyatt...”

For the next hour, they ate and worked in perfect synergy. Mike really enjoyed the Dom’s company, which was quite surprising for him. He usually hated the arrogant Doms and Harvey was nothing if not self-assured. And yet, Mike was strangely attracted to him. Well, it wasn’t really all that strange. Harvey was good looking and successful, with natural confidence and innate dominance. Mike was pretty sure that subs were trailing Harvey wherever he went. And Harvey probably had a different sub to play with every night. Well except for tonight, since it was nearly midnight and Harvey was still with Mike. And damn, it felt good.

“Mike? Are you collecting pizza boxes or what?” Harvey called from the kitchen. 

“What?” Mike followed his gaze and blushed. “No those are from the past two days.”

“Are you only eating pizza? What are you? A teenager?” There was a tinge of disapproval in Dom’s voice and Mike felt defensive.

“What? I can’t afford to eat lobster and caviar every day. Pizza is tasty and cheap,” he replied snatching the boxes and putting them in the trash bin.

“Have you even seen your salary?”

“I haven’t RECEIVED my salary, Harvey. And I almost got fired twice today, so cut me some slack.” 

“New rule of employment - three BALANCED meals a day,” Harvey replied, lapsing into the Dom mode again.

“Harvey!” Mike whined in protest, “You can’t do that!”

“Four.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

“Five.” Harvey continued unaffected. “We can do it all day.”

“Fine, I promise to eat something normal too. Happy now?” Mike grumbled with attitude.

Harvey’s eyes flashed with excitement at sub’s challenging tone and Mike felt his belly flutter. “Three balanced meals. Two snacks in between. Vegetables and fruits every day, Michael.”

_Oh great, we are back to 'Michael' again. _Mike felt annoyed. Who gave Harvey the right to order him around deciding the amount of sleep or his diet? “Or what?!” he shot back defiantly.

Harvey laughed. “Ohh, Mike. You are so lucky, you are not mine,” the Dom remarked, the unspoken threat of punishment in the air.

“You wouldn’t be able to handle me, Harvey,” Mike retorted smugly.

“Oh really? You think you are so untamable?”

Now it was Mike’s turn to laugh. “I KNOW, I am. Too many Doms tried and failed…”

“They weren’t me,” Harvey observed, his tone as boastful as ever.

“Your ego doesn’t cease to amaze me, Harvey,” Mike chuckled shaking his head. “You wanna bet on it?”

“Sure. This weekend, my place,“ Harvey offered his hand for a bet, “Bring your A-game, brat.”

Mike accepted his hand, meeting his challenge with a cocky smile, “You think you can force me to submit in just two days?”

“I won't need to force you, you will do it willingly.”

“You will fail, and when you do, I want you to end my trial with a 10% raise, active immediately,” Mike stated his conditions, daring Harvey to back off.

“And if I won’t?”

“You will, but whatever.”

“You will grant me a wish then,” Harvey voiced his condition with a smirk.

Mike frowned. “That’s awfully unspecific.”

“Aren’t you confident, Mr. Ross?” Harvey shot back Mike’s own provocative question from the interview. The sub pulled a face recognizing as much. He shook Harvey’s hand sealing the deal.

“Copycat.”

“Brat.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slowly getting to the fun stuff^^


	4. Wearing the tie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> References to episode 1x3.

Friday came sooner than Mike expected. He was rather looking forward to his weekend with Harvey. Of course out loud he kept saying that he was looking forward to taking the Dom down a peg or two, but in reality, Mike was simply excited to scene with Harvey. The Top had such an easygoing dominant vibe to him that never once felt forced or annoying. Mike never wanted to scene with anyone so badly as he did with Harvey. He felt conflicted between being himself and winning the bet (since he was sure he would) and actually trying to perform and please the Dom. Harvey reassured him, that nothing they did during the weekend will affect his work, but Mike was still self-conscious about it. What if Harvey ended up hating him like every other Dom did?

"Mike, Jessica wants to see you," Harold told him, passing his cubicle. Mike frowned. _What did I do now?_

Seeing Tom Keller at the office, Mike's heart rate elevated for a second. But surely the young entrepreneur was not there to get Mike in trouble, right?

"Oh, the man of the day, Mike, please come in," Jessica called him with a smile and Mike immediately relaxed. Tom must have decided to sign with Pearson-Specter after all. Surprisingly so, Louis's wicked strategy actually worked, not that Mike planned to give him any credit.

"It's not often that we have somebody bring in their first client while still on a trial," the woman purred smoothly and Mike grinned puffing his chest proudly.

"Actually, it's Mike's second client," Harvey said appearing behind him and patting Mike's shoulder, "He got Chapman too."

"Look at me go! Two clients in a week, how many clients did you get this week, Harvey?" Mike teased the Dom, bringing a chuckle out of everyone present.

Harvey leaned closer to the sub, "Running your mouth while you still can, huh?" he muttered seductively.

But it would take more than that to fluster Mike. "If you think that anything you do could actually cure my smartmouth, you are in for a disappointment," he replied, keeping his voice down.

"I spank hard, you know?" Harvey chaffed with a wink.

Mike resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Good. That's just the way I like it."

"We will see about that. Eight pm, puppy," Harvey intoned with a smirk and Mike felt the pleasant flutter of excitement.

xxx

* * *

xxx

However, things didn't go as planned. Instead of a quiet evening consisting of dinner, kink negotiation, and perhaps some sexy scening, Harvey dragged Mike to the Gotham Car Club and got into an argument with the new CEO of McKernon Motors, Robert Stensland. McKernon Motors was Harvey's first client and Harvey felt particularly passionate about them, with his love for racing and all. Robert intended to move the manufacturing overseas, but Harvey knew such plans would jeopardize the company, which would, in turn, affect Pearson-Specter through its connection.

"So what now?" Mike asked, sensing the bad mood the Dom was in.

"Now we are going to go through the bylaws, till we find a loophole how to get rid of Stensland," Harvey grumbled, putting on the gear of his fancy Tesla and driving them back to the office. "Sorry Mike, this takes priority, I know we were supposed to…"

Mike shook his head not letting him finish. "It's fine Harvey. This is work."

Harvey turned his head and gave Mike a warm appreciative smile, "Good boy." If he didn't have to turn his attention back to the road, he would have found Mike's dumbfounded expression funny.

Mike for once couldn't think of a single cheeky thing to say. He would never admit it, but it felt so damn good, to hear the praise from the mouth of Harvey fucking Specter! Mike was trying hard to live up to his promise from the interview - he wanted to prove to Harvey that the Dom made the right choice when he decided to hire Mike. And Mike was pretty sure that in general Harvey was pleased with his new paralegal. It's just that Harvey rarely acknowledged it. And hearing those two simple words uttered with such warmth made all Mike's insides turn to goo.

The bylaws of McKernon Motors was thicker than Tolstoy's War and Peace and killed Harvey after measly two hours. The Dom fell asleep on his desk and Mike covered him with a blanket while keeping his attention at the gruesome assignment. Mike was good at this. Eidetic memory, quick analytical mind, fast reading - there was not a single person on a planet, who could be more efficient at this task. But it didn't make it any more enjoyable.

Finally, around 3 am Mike exclaimed happily, waking Harvey up. "I got it! Harvey, I got it!"

The Dom got up, noticing the blanket on his shoulders with surprise, and stumbled groggily over to Mike, leaning over the sub's shoulder and trying to focus his vision on papers Mike was holding.

"He is _the interim_ CEO," Mike turned to Harvey, unable to hide his excitement, "Stensland has to be voted in by the board, before he can do anything drastic, such as moving the factory overseas."

"So we just have to find us a new CEO," Harvey replied, catching up to Mike's train of thought.

"Yup," the sub grinned at him. There was nothing left for them to do in the office, so they grabbed their stuff ready to leave. When Harvey let out a loud yawn, Mike couldn't resist teasing him, "Slept well, boss?"

Harvey turned to Mike, his stare wild and hungry and for a second there Mike felt like a pray about to be devoured by a dangerous predator. The Dom grabbed Mike's chin in a firm dominant grip and traced his thumb over that cheeky mouth. "Since we are done with work, I guess it's about time I make you _mine_..."

With that, he pressed his lips against Mike's in a slow sensual kiss. Mike was caught off guard but was far from minding such attention from the Dom. Truth be told, he had been daydreaming about Harvey kissing him (and not just kissing), ever since they made the bet. Mike eagerly returned the kiss, which in turn gave Harvey the confidence to grow more demanding. He grabbed the sub by the hair with one hand, while the other squeezed Mike's ass possessively, his tongue exploring Mike's mouth with bruising vigour. Harvey was dominating him with kiss alone and Mike submitted to it fully, enjoying every bit of roughness, as endorphins turned pain into pleasure. If Mike was honest with himself, he lost the bet right there. Just like that. Before they even started any scening.

Harvey continued kissing him for a couple of minutes, savoring sub's responsiveness. Gone was the attitude, the defiance, the played bravado, the vanilla act. All that was left was meek submission and raw passion. And Harvey just couldn't get enough of it. He pulled out enjoying the blissful expression on Mike's face, his eyes closed as if still waiting for more.

"What a good boy you are," Harvey purred affectionately, bringing the cute blush onto Mike's cheeks. The sub turned away in embarrassment, but there was no denying how much he enjoyed being called a good boy. Harvey took his chin once more and turned Mike to face him. "Do you still wanna do this?"

Was there a tinge of insecurity in Harvey's voice or did Mike imagine it? _So even the mighty Harvey Specter was a human after all, afraid to be rejected, just like the rest of us mortals._ Bringing the vulnerability out of the always self-assured confident Dom was easily the most endearing thing Mike has ever seen.

"Do I still want a 10% raise and end my trial? Hell yes," Mike replied cockily.

Harvey chuckled. Whatever tension was there when he asked the question, dissipated immediately with Mike's sassiness. "Good. Then starting now and till Sunday noon, you are mine," he informed Mike, gently caressing his cheek. "Do you need a collar to put you in the mindset?"

Mike snorted and shook his head, trying to mask the wave of sudden bitterness. As if the collar could ever put him into the mindset. Mike didn't HAVE a submissive mindset. At least that's what it always felt like. Collars, leashes, harnesses and other accessories intended to help subs reach subspace, usually only managed to irritate Mike, taking him even further from the mood, if anything. Because nothing ever worked for him as it was supposed to. Being a "wannabe sub" never bothered Mike as much, as it did now.

"Good, cause I don't have one anyway. But… hmmm," Harvey gave Mike calculating staredown. "Take off your tie," the Dom ordered, his tone firm, yet playful. Normally, this would be Mike's cue to run his mouth, but now he only furrowed his brows in confusion and removed his tie, handing it to Harvey with a silent question.

The Top took the tie and threw it into the trash bin bringing a scandalized "Harvey!" out of the sub.

"I couldn't look at this skinny tie any longer," The Dom explained, his eyes dancing with glee. Harvey then removed his own tie and wrapped it around Mike's throat making a perfect knot with practiced ease. "There, much better." When Mike gave him a confused look, he added, "My tie - my sub. You are not allowed to take it off without my permission," the Dom said smugly.

"Oh." _Well, that was… different._ But for once there wasn't a single negative feeling about this gesture of ownership. Mike brushed the tie with his hand instinctively, fighting the urge to smile.

"Let's go, pup. It's been a long day," Harvey prompted him, resting his hand on the small of Mike's back.

"Yeah. I mean, Yes.. uhm.. What do I call you now?"

Harvey was not a stickler for Dom/sub etiquette. "Call me whatever feels right," he replied, noticing the surprised look that took over Mike's face. "As long as it's respectful, of course," he added sensing the smug question that was on the tip of brat's tongue. When Mike swallowed whatever he was about to say, the Dom silently congratulated himself - _1:0 for Harvey_.

xxx

* * *

xxx

The drive home was a relatively quick affair, given the city was mostly asleep, save for a couple of loud drunk people that were always there at this hour. Mike fell asleep pretty much as soon as he sat down. Harvey kept his hand on sub's thigh, appreciating the closeness and uncharacteristic silence. Mike was a smart young man and a great debater, his sassy mouth being his biggest asset. However, Harvey couldn't help but enjoy the sub's company without the ever-present defiance and challenge to his authority.

When they arrived at Harvey's apartment building, the Dom contemplated not waking Mike up and simply carrying the sub to his place, but he was pretty sure that even a tired, sleepy Mike would never allow himself to be in such an undignified position. Therefore Harvey patted Mike's thigh gently announcing their arrival.

Mike kept yawning the whole way up and Harvey decided to put his mind at ease, "Don't worry, you are going straight to bed, pup," which was rewarded with a small grateful smile.

Even though Mike was very tired, he didn't fail to convey how impressed he was with Harvey's penthouse in a very Mike-like fashion, "What the fuck, man, how many zero's does your paycheck have?"

"A few," Harvey replied, pleased that he made an impression on the cheeky sub. "Let's get you to bed." He led Mike to the spare bedroom, that was already prepared with fresh bedsheets. Harvey sat him down and started undressing. Mike attempted to protest but gave up almost immediately accepting the help. Mike was generally not shy. He knew he had good looks, his handsome boyish face and thin athletic build making him quite a catch on the sub market (till he opened his mouth, anyway). When scening most of Doms preferred to have the sub naked, and Mike never had a problem with that part.

Since Mike didn't have any clothes with him, Harvey gave him his own t-shirt. It smelled like Harvey and Mike inhaled the soft fabric with an affectionate grin, which didn't escape Dom's attention. Harvey left his tie on the sub on purpose, loosening it around the neck for comfort. It shouldn't impede his sleep, but it will be the first thing Mike will feel when he wakes up. Harvey would gladly take the sub into his own bed for the night, but a) he wasn't sure Mike would appreciate it and b) he wasn't sure he would be able to resist devouring the sub right there right now, and they both needed to sleep.

Harvey tucked Mike in and landed a soft peck on his forehead. If the sub was embarrassed by the gesture, he didn't let it show. "Good work today, Mike. Sleep well," Harvey said with a smile and left the young man to sleep.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike woke up from the sound of a treadmill in action. He stretched, immediately noticing the tie around his neck and smiled at the memory of the previous day. Well, it was happening, after all! He was Harvey's sub, and for some reason, this thought filled him with a gooey happy feeling.

"Good morning, princess," Harvey greeted him, from the treadmill. "Slept well?"

Mike felt stupid, wearing just a t-shirt, boxers and a tie, he contrasted sharply against Harvey's fancy workout outfit, that revealed how ripped he actually was. Mike wiped the drool off his chin and forced himself to stop staring at the Dom.

"Yeah, though the walls didn't save me from your terrible snoring," he lied with a smug face. He didn't hear a thing and the soft sleeping noises Harvey made at the office were a far cry from snoring.

Harvey chuckled, "I see, you are in a cheeky mood. Good." He jumped off the treadmill, the droplets of sweat running down his chest. Mike flushed, turning away from the alluring Dom, his nose catching on the utterly intoxicating scent of sweat mixed with Harvey's signature cologne.

"Help yourself to some coffee. Eggs and bacon are in the fridge. I'm gonna hit the shower."

Mike's eyes lingered on the hot Top, following him all the way to the bathroom and then quickly turning away in order not to be caught staring. He wasn't sure whether Harvey's instructions meant that he was supposed to cook them both breakfast, or just for himself. He decided to just play it safe and make enough for two. He wasn't really a service-submissive and got no kick out of serving Doms, but in this case, he treated it as common sense to cook for two, while Harvey was in the shower.

"Hmm, you look good in my kitchen," Harvey mused appearing in the hallway with a towel around his neck, as Mike was frying the bacon.

"I look good in any room," Mike shot back without turning.

"However, there is something missing, hmm.. Let's see." A piece of cloth hit Mike in the back and fell down on the floor. He picked it up and _surprise, surprise,_ it was an apron. _Yeah, not gonna happen._ Mike cast Harvey an annoyed look and turned his attention back to the stove.

"I want you to wear it, pup." The tone of voice was still playful, but Mike knew that if he doesn't oblige him, it will get that firm edge Harvey always used when he meant business. And perhaps he shouldn't push the Dom first thing in the morning, right? Mike took the apron and tied it around his waist.

"No no, I want you to wear ONLY the apron," Harvey instructed with a devilish grin, "And my tie of course."

"Really?" It's not like Mike was never forced into some ridiculous outfits before, but man, why did Harvey had to be such a jerk right away? With an exasperated sigh, Mike undressed, leaving just the tie and put the apron on. "Happy now? I look like a moron," the sub complained, as he flipped the bacon on the pan, mooning Harvey with his bare ass.

"You look just the way I like it," Harvey teased barely containing laughter.

"Asshole," Mike grumbled under his breath. But apparently not quietly enough for Harvey not to hear.

"Is this, how you address your Dom?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, his expression still highly amused.

"I just did," Mike snapped, the words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to fully comprehend possible consequences. And boy oh boy, it was a challenge if Harvey ever heard one.

Sure enough, the Dom was by his side within a second, grabbing his wrist in a vice-like grip and dragging him back to the table. It all happened so fast that before Mike remembered to protest, he was already over Harvey's knees receiving a flurry of smacks on his upturned bottom.

"Harvey! Cut it out!"

"Oh no, puppy. We have some attitude adjustment to do," the Dom replied, his tone as playful as ever. Mike struggled to get up, but Harvey quickly subjugated him, locking his legs between his own and holding his wrists on the small of his back. Mike might have been only marginally shorter than Harvey but the Dom had at least 20 pounds of muscles on him, and he overpowered Mike with surprising ease. "My palms were twitching to do this ever since you gave me lip in the cafeteria."

"Harvey! I'm cooking!" Mike whined, wiggling over the Dom's lap like a snake. Truth be told, Harvey wasn't smacking him all that hard. Mike was not a wuss and he could take way bigger thrashing without uttering a sound. What made him eager to get away, was the fact that Mike was getting painfully erect and he didn't want the Dom to know how easily he turned him on.

"How are you to address me, pup?" Harvey questioned, not relenting on the smacks, bringing a nice pink hue to the sub's ass.

"Harvey, the bacon is burning! Let me go!"

"Yes, and if you ruin my pan, you will certainly be punished," the Dom sang in response, his teasing tone proving that he didn't care about the pan whatsoever.

"And what the fuck are you doing now then?" Mike retorted defiantly.

"Now I'm merely putting the naughty boy back to his place," Harvey purred, pausing the assault to rub the pink flesh appreciatively. "So how are you to address your Dom?" He punctuated the question with several harder swats to the sub's sit spots, making Mike grit his teeth to stop himself from yelping.

"Rsptfully," Mike grumbled.

Harvey landed another sharp smack. "What was that?"

"With respect!" Mike answered louder, swallowing his pride in order to avoid further indignity, shall the Dom find out how much he enjoyed his spanking.

"Good boy," Harvey praised him, releasing his limbs and helping him up. And crap, that apron did little to hide Mike's erection!

If Harvey noticed it, he didn't mention it. Instead, he cupped Mike's face gently, looking into his eyes with an inquisitive gaze. Harvey was positive that a couple of smacks couldn't really hurt Mike, but he still wanted to make sure the sub was alright. After all, they didn't have the chance to properly talk about dos and don'ts, yet. Mike had a cute flushed expression that betrayed embarrassment, but there was no sign of resentment, much to Harvey's relief. He traced his finger along Mike's jawline, his touch soft and tender, and then patted Mike on the bottom sending him back to the stove.

"Now, that's better. Red butt compliments your outfit greatly," Harvey teased Mike, watching the back of his ears turn crimson. "This should curb that attitude of yours for a while."

Mike flipped the frizzled bacon, fuming quietly, "Jerk."

"Or not," Harvey laughed, grabbing Mike's wrist again.

"No! Wait! Harvey! I didn't... Let me at least turn off the stove…!"

.

.

.

Safe to say, the bacon was burnt to a crisp.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC


	5. Do's and don'ts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the positive feedback, guys! This is not only a new fandom for me but also a new genre and a first M/M work.  
Anyway, smut incoming^^

“You have just ruined the breakfast,” Mike complained rubbing his butt.

“Aww, what a cute pout,” Harvey teased him with a grin. 

Mike had an f-word on the tip of his tongue but swallowed it, otherwise, they will never get to eat today. The second spanking was even shorter and milder than the first one and left Mike only pleasantly tingly and very excited. Standing between Dom’s knees it was no use trying to hide his erection and Harvey’s eyes rested on the bulge poking under the apron.

“Given the flagpole, I assume it’s a _ yes _ on the spanking?” he deduced, patting Mike on the butt.

Mike tried to mask his embarrassment with annoyance, “NOW you are asking me?”

Harvey chuckled. “Oh no, pup, you don’t get to guilt-trip me. If you wanted to negotiate first, you shouldn’t have given me attitude.”

“I actually tried. Even wore this ridiculous apron,“ Mike grumbled pointing at his outfit.

Harvey stood up and lifted Mike’s chin landing a soft kiss on his lips. “Good boy,” he said, watching the sub blush with satisfaction. “Get dressed, we will have that discussion now. I brought you some of my clothes, they might be a bit big, but they should serve the purpose. Besides, you might not wear them for long,” Harvey made a pause giving Mike a suggestive smile. “Go on, I’ll finish this,” he added, pointing at the stove.

Mike wanted to reply something sassy, how they would have been already done with breakfast, if Harvey didn’t insist on being a douchebag, but he just couldn’t find it in him. Harvey’s kiss, praise, consideration and care made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He put on the simple grey t-shirt and shorts that Harvey brought him, the soft fabric pleasant to the touch, a small logo on the side betraying an expensive brand. He sat on the chair and watched Harvey fry a new batch of bacon and then adding asparagus and some other green vegetables Mike didn’t know. The Dom then took the scrambled eggs Mike cooked while Harvey was in the shower, added the vegetables and bacon and set the two plates on the table.

“So, give me your hard limits,” the Top inquired sipping on his coffee, while Mike dug into the food with gusto.

“I don’t have any,” the sub replied wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Harvey remained unamused, “And that would be funny if... oh wait, it’s just not. Don’t you know how much this gets abused? How dangerous this is?”

Mike rolled his eyes, “Yes Harvey, I’m not a teenager.”

The Dom put his fork down, his face growing stern. “Well, you certainly behave like a newbie sub to me. You are a walking encyclopedia and you wanna be a lawyer. You should know better than anyone how often submissives get mistreated because they allegedly didn’t state non-con as a hard limit.”

Mike flushed at the scolding. More so, because he knew Harvey was right. Many Doms didn’t even bother going through the sub’s limits and then proceeded to ignore safeword claiming that it was part of the play. It was a grey area in legislation and plenty of Doms remained unpunished due to the imperfections of legal system. Even though Harvey specialised in corporate law, he must have still come across plenty of such cases.

“Yes Harvey, I know. It was just a joke,“ Mike replied much more timidly now.

But it didn’t placate the Dom. “This is serious Mike. Dishonesty puts not only you at risk, but also me. How do you think I would feel if my actions unintentionally triggered some bad memories and I ended up hurting you, either physically or emotionally?”

“Fine Harvey, I’m sorry,” Mike apologized, feeling stupid for attempting to downplay the importance of safety. Harvey clearly treated this very seriously, and if Mike wasn’t so busy feeling embarrassed, he would appreciate how responsible the Dom was about it.

Harvey didn’t acknowledge the apology, his face didn’t soften either as he looked at Mike with silent expectation.

“Public humiliation, degradation, blood, scat, piss, non-con,” Mike stated his usual list of hard limits. He never had any kind of traumatic experience when scening, if anything it was the Doms he was playing with, who ended up frustrated, not ready to deal with his super-pushiness. 

“Breathplay?”

“Soft limit. What about you?”

Harvey finally allowed himself to soften his expression. He was never asked by a sub what his hard limits were. Doms weren’t usually the ones at risk of being abused, not that it couldn’t happen. “Intensive bratting,“ he said with a chuckle.

His joke put Mike at ease, “Oh, then you are in for a treat,” he chortled.

“Don’t worry, Mike, I don’t think there is anything you could do, that I wouldn’t know how to deal with,” the Dom reassured him with a smile.

“I’ll take it as a challenge, then.” 

“Brat,” Harvey shook his head munching on the last bits of his breakfast. Then he looked at Mike’s plate noticing the leftover vegetables there. “Finish those.”

“Harvey!” Mike whined with exasperation. He really didn’t enjoy all the controlling. He was a grown-ass man, goddammit! He didn’t need to be told what to eat and when to sleep.

“Nuh-uh. My tie - my sub. Obey me,” Harvey ordered, his voice getting a firm edge. When Mike pulled a face and stuffed his mouth with asparagus, he chuckled, “Vegetables are good for you, pup.”

The sub rolled his eyes with a dramatic sigh, “Yes, MOM!”

Harvey laughed, “Ohhh, I could make you regret this so much. Perhaps you would like to spend the morning in the corner thinking about how much humiliating stuff _ Daddy _ can put you through?”

That sobered Mike right away, “No Harvey, I’m good.” He had no desire to spend his weekend wearing diapers just to pay for that sassy remark.

“Thought so,” the Dom nodded taking pleasure in an easily won submission, _ 2:0 for Harvey. _“So what about the do’s?”

It was Mike’s turn to look surprised. He did plenty of kink negotiations, and never once was he asked about what it was that he liked. It was an automatic assumption, that Mike will like “whatever pleases <strike> Your Majesty </strike> the Dom”. It was very refreshing to not fall under that pretense, but it also meant that Mike didn’t have an answer prepared.

“Uhm… I don’t know, impact play I guess,” he shrugged, visibly uncomfortable with the question.

Harvey wasn’t surprised. It was the usual reaction, he got from the subs when he inquired about the do’s. “Is that it?” he asked with a raised eyebrow enjoying the uncharacteristically lost expression on an otherwise always cheeky sub. “Alright,” Harvey waved his hand. He had a pretty good idea about what Mike would like and he didn’t mind voicing it for him. “Subjugation?”

“Yeah, I guess…” It was a definite yes, Mike loved to be forced into submission, and apparently it didn’t escape Harvey’s attention.

“Discipline?” With the amount of bratting Mike displayed, it was a no-brainer that sub would find the idea of punishment exciting.

But admitting as much was not that easy. Mike bit his lip unconsciously, “Maybe,” he muttered averting his gaze.

“Praise?”

_ Fuck. _Mike stared at his empty plate blushing profusely, struggling to find some sassy comeback and failing, his silence being an answer in itself.

“Aww, look at the baby blushing,” Harvey teased the sub mercilessly.

Mike scowled, “Fuck you!”

Harvey only laughed. _ I guess I kinda deserved that. _ It was rather mean to call Mike out on it, given how uncomfortable the sub got.

“I’ll let it slide just this once, pup,” Harvey warned him, though his eyes kept smiling. “But speaking of fucking... Is sex on the table?”

Mike was yet again taken off guard by Harvey’s consideration. Many Tops didn’t distinguish between these two things, treating sex as an inherent part of a scene, regardless of whether the Bottom was interested in it or not. In this case, Mike very much expected, even hoped that they will get to do the sexy stuff, cause Harvey was easily the hottest Dom Mike has ever scened with.

“If you want,” Mike replied, suddenly self-conscious. He rarely felt insecure about his appearance, knowing the vast majority of Doms found him very appealing. But Harvey could literally have any sub he wanted and Mike practically goaded him into it for the bet, so it wouldn’t be unheard of if the Dom didn’t want to get intimate.

“Do you?” Harvey didn’t let him get away with a half answer.

“As long as it’s safe,” he mused, trying to keep his voice nonchalant to mask his nervousness.

Harvey rewarded Mike with a pleased smile, as he stood up and approached the sub. “Good boy. Safety is a must,” he purred before claiming Mike’s mouth in an affectionate kiss. Mike’s insecurity was so endearing. The sub was obviously very handsome and confident, and yet for some reason, he thought that Harvey might not want him? Silly boy. Harvey had a hard time keeping it in his pants ever since the interview!

“Go to my bedroom, undress and wait for me on the bed. You can take a shower if you want. I’ll clean this.”

_ Fucking marry me! _ Mike has never felt so much adoration towards a Dom before. ‘_Go take a shower, while I clean this?’ _ said no Dom ever! Harvey did treat Mike as his submissive, but he also treated him as his guest. Seriously, if he kept being so perfect, Mike was in real danger of not just losing the bet, but falling in love with him too. And that would be a total disaster. It went without saying that Harvey was not one for commitment. He was “_Too perfect to belong to just one sub” - _that’s what he said in one of the interviews for the Time magazine, which was cocky as fuck... but so in character.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Harvey didn’t care about the bet. He could give the brat even a 20% raise with a fat bonus on top. As far as Harvey was concerned, the kid already earned the company more money than the rest of the associates combined. No, what Harvey craved, was to dominate the bratty sub and force the submission out of him. Mike was stubborn and Harvey could see how much effort it took him to follow even simple orders. Which made the sub all the more appealing to conquer. Of course, Harvey would have to be extra careful not to break the spirit of the proud young man. He wanted Mike to find pleasure in submitting and enjoy their time together.

The Dom entered the bedroom and found Mike sitting naked on the bed, his hair still damp from the shower. Harvey was glad to see that the sub obeyed him and that he remembered to keep the tie on, even though Harvey hasn't specifically told him to. Mike looked very nervous, gripping his hands to the point his knuckles turned white. Harvey liked his subs to be a bit anxious, that was a good mindset to have and made the scene more exciting for both. But Mike’s rigid posture seemed off, not to mention out of character, and Harvey certainly didn’t want him to be freaking out quite this much.

“Lie on the bed, face down,” Harvey instructed, his voice firm and dominant.

Mike caught his breath. _ Wow, just like that? You just gonna fuck me? _He felt a sudden wave of nausea. WTF was wrong with him? What was he suddenly so afraid of? He was in this position many times before, and yet it felt like it was all happening for the first time. Mike just knew he was gonna fuck it up somehow. And then Harvey will see what a horrible wannabe sub Mike actually was. He obeyed, getting up on wobbly legs and lay face down on the bed. 

Harvey opened the drawer and took something from it. Mike didn’t dare to look. Perhaps Harvey was going to spank him some more first. And that was fine, Mike liked impact play, right? Then why the fuck did he feel like throwing up? _ Oh God, I’m going to mess it up before he even touches me. _

The bed bent under the added weight and Mike felt the Dom straddle him. It was so confusing, what could he possibly do in this position? Well, he could simply… but then why was he still wearing clothes? Mike grew even more rigid, all his muscles tensing at the same time. Then he felt a warm liquid being poured on his back and it smelled like… coconut? Wha..?

“Relax pup, you are being awfully tense,” Harvey purred, his voice a low pleasant rumble, as his hands started spreading the massage oil and kneading the sub’s back muscles with gentle yet firm strokes. “There is no need to be afraid. You are perfectly safe with me.”

Harvey’s words and his skillful hands worked like magic and Mike immediately started to relax under the Dom’s gentle touch.

“There you go. Good boy,” Harvey praised him, nibbling on his ear, his hot breath sending shivers down the sub’s spine. “I’m not gonna push you out of your comfort zone, not today at least. And you have your safewords. I use the traffic lights system. But if you prefer something different, I don’t mind.”

“No, it’s fine, Harvey,” Mike mumbled into the bedsheet. He had to stop himself from moaning with pleasure, when Harvey worked a particularly tense knot on his shoulder. This felt so fucking amazing. Mike has never started a play scene with a massage before, at least not on the receiving end.

“Repeat your safewords for me, pup.”

“Yellow to slow down, red to stop,” Mike parroted the most commonly used safewords. He only ever used them a couple of times, when he was pushed into some of his hard limits by inexperienced Doms. He had a feeling he was not gonna be needing those with Harvey, the Dom just seemed to do everything right.

“I expect you to use them in case of need. Have you safeworded before?” the Top asked, his kneading getting rougher.

“Yeah, I have.”

“Very good.” Harvey had nothing against newbie subs, but he generally preferred mature experienced ones. He was a rather confident Dom, he could read the subs’ reactions quite well and was able to tell when the stuff stopped being fun for them. However, safewords offered that extra bit of protection, and the young subs were often reluctant to use them in order not to offend the Dom. So scening with somebody who was not afraid to safeword, was simply more comfortable. 

Harvey kept massaging Mike’s back for a while, till he felt the sub was relaxed enough to appreciate a more intimate touch. He then moved further down and started applying his hands to Mike’s well sculpted ass. The soft moan proved that such attention was well received. Harvey worked those muscles, occasionally spreading the cheeks offering himself a delicious sneak peek to the sub’s backdoor. He dug his thumbs between the round globes and massaged the inner cheeks, though never quite touching the entrance.

Harvey kept at this teasing play for a couple of minutes, the butt-massage being both very arousing and very frustrating. _ God, just touch me already! _Mike was getting painfully erect, so he couldn’t help squirming every now and then in order to subtly adjust himself. When Harvey only lightly brushed over his anus and then took his hands away, Mike let out an involuntary whimper of protest.

“Needy boy.”

“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Harvey,” came the cheeky reply.

Well, at least the sub was not scared anymore. “Tsk, tsk. Do you need another spanking?” the Dom asked patting his butt suggestively.

“Go ahead, it won’t help,” Mike gibed, giving him a provocative glance. “You can’t beat me into submission.”

Harvey grabbed both Mike’s wrists and pinned them above his head, as he leaned forward covering the sub’s body with his own, effectively restraining the smaller man below him. His grip firm and controlling, his hard erection pressing against Mike’s buttcheeks. “That’s the last thing I’d want to do, silly boy,” he whispered into Mike’s ear, giving him a couple of dry thrusts, that held so much promise Mike almost begged Harvey to fuck him right then and there.

“Turn around,” Harvey instructed him, releasing the sub from his dominant grasp.

Mike obeyed, turning around and giving Harvey an eyeful of his hard-on, that betrayed just how much he was enjoying this.

“Put your hands on the bed, palms down, and keep them there. If you fail, I will restrain you.”

Before Mike could ask why, Harvey rolled a condom on him, leaned down and … “Oh God!”

“Yes, I get that a lot,” Harvey replied cockily. Mike couldn’t think of a single smartass comeback, his mind going completely blank. Harvey fucking Specter was giving him a blowjob. Mike moaned with pleasure, the urge to grab the Dom by the hair overwhelming him. Harvey was taking his time, teasing Mike with slow strokes and licking around the shaft with deliberate torture. Barely keeping his palms on the bed Mike lifted his hips thrusting into the Dom’s mouth.

Harvey immediately pressed Mike down firmly. “No, no, pup. You are not in charge here.”

Mike let out a whine of frustration but kept his hips down. Harvey returned to his game of slow torture, and Mike had to grip the bedsheets to keep himself still. It was not like he never got a head before, but Harvey going down on him was one of his wet dreams come true.

“You are being such a good boy for me,” Harvey cooed, landing a soft kiss on Mike’s pelvis. Then he resumed his ministrations, stroking and sucking with newfound vigour, bringing Mike on the brink of an orgasm and then stopping again.

“For fuck’s sake, Harvey!” Mike exclaimed throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

“Naughty sub, what did I say about the hands?” Harvey chided him, though his smile proved that Dom was far from displeased.

“You are torturing me!” Mike whined.

“Very good observation, Mr. Ross,” Harvey remarked with a chuckle, as he took Mike’s wrists and handcuffed them to the bedpost above his head.

Mike scowled at his loss of freedom. “Dickhead.”

“Not the word I would use if your aim is to come, pup.”

“As if it was on the agenda, to begin with,” Mike grumbled glaring at the Dom. It wasn’t unheard of for Tops to torture their subs with orgasm denial.

“Of course it is,” Harvey replied, not at all put out by Mike’s anger. He wrapped his lips around Mike’s cock, taking him deep into his throat several times. “All you have to do is ask.”

_ Fuck fuck fuck! _ “Begging is not my style,” Mike fumed, straining against the handcuffs.

“It’s ok, we have plenty of time,” the Dom noted casually, but instead of resuming the blowjob, he grabbed Mike’s ass and inserted a finger inside him.

“Ohhh,” Mike let out a surprised breath as Harvey fingerfucked his butt, massaging his prostate, the stimulation making Mike desperate again in a matter of minutes.

“Harvey!”

“All you have to do is ask nicely,” Harvey purred, watching the fight play on Mike’s face. Harvey could simply use the Dom voice and strongarm Mike into submitting, but he wanted this one to be Mike’s choice, not his.

“Please,” Mike muttered under his breath, his face flushed with the indignity of it.

But Harvey was not going to let him get away with the half-assed plea. “What was that?”

“Please Harvey, let me come,” Mike said louder, closing his eyes as the relief of letting go washed over him. For the majority of subs letting go of the control was as easy as breathing, but for somebody as stubborn as Mike was, it was a feat of strength. 

“Good boy,” Harvey praised him, petting his head with affection. Then, without further ado, he brought Mike to orgasm, putting both his hands and his mouth to good use.

While Mike was still in the midst of ecstasy, his phone rang, the ringtone being easily the most annoying sound in the world.

Harvey picked the phone and showed it to Mike. “Is _ Trevor _ the same Trevor that sent you off with a briefcase full of weed straight into the waiting arms of the DEA?”

“Yeah,” Mike replied frowning.

“I thought you said, you severed ties with that guy. Why is he calling you?”

The sub shrugged. “Dunno, ignore it. I’ll call him later.”

Harvey didn’t dwell on the issue. He took off the condom and threw it into the bin, then grabbed a towel that was still damp from Mike’s shower and cleaned the sub up with a couple of efficient strokes.

Then the phone rang again. Harvey gave Mike a suspicious look. “Is there something I should know?” Mike’s flushed expression spoke volumes, but Harvey still waited for the sub to elaborate. 

“I’m not dealing, Harvey,” Mike reassured him, but Harvey didn’t seem content with that answer.

“Well, after returning the pot, what else can he still want from you?”

Mike made a grimace struggling to find the best way to say it.

“Michael?” The Dom’s voice got a steel edge to it, the use of his full name making Mike cringe.

“I didn’t… yet.”

Harvey tilted his head to the side, folding his arms on the chest. “And why the hell not?”

“I…” fuck, there was no good way to go about it, “Look, I never had a job like this…”

“So this is your insurance policy?” Harvey snapped, his tone betraying his anger, “Your little backup plan, in case this doesn’t work out? Sure, why not make some quick cash? Oh wait, I know why! Cause you were fucking set up!”

Mike wanted to argue, except there was nothing to say. Harvey was right. Even if Mike got fired, getting entangled with the weed traffickers was a very dangerous business. Not to mention that he barely escaped the cops last time.

“Alright Harvey, I will return it.”

“Damn right you will. If you want to work for me, this is not even up for discussion. It will be the first thing you do when you get home on Sunday. Did I make myself clear?” Harvey snarled pointing a finger at Mike, making him feel very small.

Mike bit his lip nervously. He would very much like to just agree and go on with their playdate, but he didn’t want to lie. “Uhm… it’s not at home.”

Harvey frowned. “And where is it then?”

Mike pulled a face again.

“Michael?” Harvey prompted him, an unspoken threat hanging in the air.

“You are not gonna like it.”

“If you are going to say, what I think you are going to say, then you are damn right, I won’t!” the Dom growled.

“I couldn’t just leave it at home!” Mike offered, mentally preparing himself for the storm. 

_ Make it a fucking tornado. _“You brought a briefcase full of drugs into MY company?!” Harvey bellowed furiously. Mike wanted the bed to swallow him then and there. Fucking handcuffs! He couldn’t even turn around, being forced to face the Dom’s wrath. When Harvey approached him, he looked so livid that Mike visibly flinched expecting a blow, but Harvey untied his hands instead.

“Get dressed!” the Dom ordered, his voice cold and cutting.

_ Oh God! He is kicking me out. I knew I’m gonna fuck this up! _Mike got a lump in his throat, his stomach twisting in knots. This couldn’t go any worse.

“Did you hear me?!” Harvey barked, making Mike catch his breath. “Get dressed, we are going to the office.”

“N-Now?” Mike sputtered perplexed.

“Yes, now! Move it, Michael, I’m not gonna tell you again,” Harvey ordered, his _ Dom voice _ leaving no room for argument, and Mike rushed to obey.

_ Fuck. I’m in so much trouble... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC


	6. Punishment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just in case you haven't deduced it from the title of the chapter - discipline ahead!

The drive to the office was a silent affair. Harvey didn’t say a word, but his stiff jaw and lips pressed into a tight line spoke volumes. The Dom was very displeased indeed and Mike kept trying to come up with an excuse good enough to help him keep his job, and failed. He even used the pot as an argument for Harvey to give him the signing bonus and then proceeded to keep the drugs in the drawer of his cubicle....duh. Harvey had every right to be pissed at him, he just wished he knew how he could fix it.

“Let’s go,” Harvey said curtly, jumped out of the car and strode towards the office without waiting for Mike. Mike struggled to keep up, trying not to be hurt by this cold treatment.

“Oh man, is he making you work on Saturdays too? You better claim that overtime,” the security guard greeted them at the entrance, giving Mike a sympathetic smile.

Mike glanced nervously at Harvey, but the Dom didn’t let anything show on his face, “Well, you know what they say, Brad - the law never sleeps. You gotta do what you gotta do,” he chirped using his ever-present charm. The guard only shook his head with a chuckle, and Mike attempted to smile, though he wasn’t sure how believable it was.

The elevator ride took forever and felt awkward and claustrophobic, as Mike tried to look anywhere but at Harvey. Not because he was afraid to face him, but because he hated how the Dom refused to look at him at all. When the doors finally opened, he was so eager to get out, that he tripped over his own feet clumsily. But before his face met the floor, two strong arms grabbed him and straightened him back up, bracing him for a moment for stability.

“Thanks,” Mike muttered, confused by this sudden display of kindness that contrasted sharply with the Dom’s severe expression.

Mike stumbled over to his cubicle and started searching for keys, which seemed nowhere to be found. The fact that Harvey was towering behind him, drilling holes in Mike’s back with his glare, only increased his growing panic. _ For fuck’s sake, Mike, focus! Where did you put them? _ He closed his eyes and went through his mental hard-drive trying to remember where he put the keys to unlock the drawers. _ Oh right, the lamp. _

Mike grabbed the keys and rushed to open the lock, but his hands were shaking and he kept missing the keyhole. After three failed attempts, Harvey squeezed his shoulder and covered his trembling hands with his own, taking the keys and unlocking the drawer himself. Whether it was out of annoyance or out of pity, Mike didn’t know, but he felt stupid for freaking out so much. He wasn’t quite that clumsy when he was running from the cops about to be caught with this briefcase, and now his heart was jumping out of his chest just because Harvey was mad at him? That didn’t make any sense.

xxx

* * *

xxx

“Alright, we have two options now,” Harvey apprised Mike, once they got back to the car. “Option one -” he held up one finger, “- you take off my tie, I drive you home and trust you to solve this on your own.” Harvey gave him a meaningful look and then raised a second finger, “Option two - you keep the tie, I drive you to Trevor and make sure you are done with that dickhead, and then I take you back to my place and deal with you as I would with my sub.”

Mike’s stomach did a flip flop at the promise of possible discipline, but he had a more pressing issue on his mind. “Is there any option that would allow me to keep my job?”

“Both of them do. You come to work on Monday as usual and we never speak of this again. There will be no repercussions because technically, I’m not even supposed to know about it. But I mean it, Mike, I will NOT hear about this issue again!” Harvey growled, pointing a finger at the sub. 

Mike let out a breath that he didn’t know he was holding. So Harvey was not going to fire him? _Halle-fucking-lujah._

“What you are choosing right now, is whether you want to carry on with our little arrangement or not,” The Dom continued, raising an eyebrow in question.

Mike knew that it would be an easy way out to just give Harvey the tie, and call this whole thing off. Of course, he would be forfeiting the bet, but he doubted Harvey would give him a raise after what happened, anyway. Not to mention, he might have already kinda lost it… But this was not about the bet anymore. Mike really enjoyed his time with Harvey and the fact that the Dom was so mad at him, made him very anxious. He just wanted to fix it, make things ok between them again.

“I want to continue,” Mike answered resolutely.

Harvey gave him a serious look. “You realize that you will be punished, right?”

“Yes Harvey, I’m fine with impact play.”

The Dom frowned. “This is not an impact play, Michael. This is punishment, you won’t be able to safeword out of it.”

_ Gulp. _“It’s ok, I can take a thrashing.”

Harvey shook his head. “Have you been disciplined before?”

“Uhm...Yes?” the sub replied confused. Mike has had his fair share of whippings, and some of them left marks for days. He was not a pain junkie, but he could deal with pain. 

“Your mindset will be different, Mike. It won’t be pleasant,” the Dom warned him.

Mike didn’t want to appear overly confident or offend Harvey by openly underestimating the promised punishment, though he was pretty sure it couldn’t be that bad. “Yes, I understand,” he answered timidly, casting his gaze in his lap to appear submissive.

Harvey’s face finally softened the tiniest bit. Obviously he expected Mike to back out of it and was pleased that he didn’t. “Fair enough, let’s go.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike navigated Harvey to Trevor’s place, all the while trying to figure out an excuse not to have the Dom involved. Trevor shared Mike’s contempt for Doms, even though he himself was a Switch, and Harvey’s dominating presence, and more importantly Mike’s submissive response to it, would be too humiliating to be witnessed by his best friend.

Mike was still quite mad at Trevor, but he would likely lapse into his usual brattitude just to save his face. Trevor would lose all respect for Mike if he saw him now, all flushed and anxious about his Dom being angry with him. And mouthing off to Harvey, when he was already in a shitload of trouble, was not particularly smart, and should be avoided at all costs.

Harvey pulled over and got out of the car, his expression firm and determined. Mike felt an adrenaline rush at the upcoming confrontation, fearing there was no way for a positive outcome.

“Wait!” he called, the tinge of desperation in his voice made Harvey stop and raise an eyebrow in question.

“Please, let me deal with it on my own.”

“Why?” there was no accusation in the Dom’s tone, but Mike still felt the distrust and couldn’t help feeling hurt by it. But then again, why _should_ Harvey trust him? He lied multiple times and then brought the drugs into the office while keeping his boss under the illusion that that issue was over and done with.

“Harvey, it’s not because I want to hide it or strike some deal behind your back. I just don’t want you to get involved any more than you already are. For which I’m sorry by the way,” he offered, giving Harvey a pleading look. And it might not have been the whole truth, but it was as much as he was willing to admit to the Dom, and it was genuine.

For a while, Harvey looked like he was not buying it, but then he simply shrugged and got back into the car without saying a word.

Mike cast him a small grateful smile. “Give me 10 minutes.”

“You take longer than 15, and I will be coming up to fetch you.”

Mike nodded, secretly pleased with Harvey’s promise because he wanted to believe it was made out of concern for Mike’s wellbeing, rather than lack of faith that he was telling the truth.

He did stretch his 10 minutes into 15, but Harvey was still sitting in the car when Mike emerged from the building, sporting a broken lip, torn jacket, and bloodied fists. Apparently Mike put Trevor in a rather dangerous position by keeping the weed and ignoring his calls for 2 weeks, and Trevor was just as mad at Mike as Mike was at Trevor. Needless to say, Mike didn’t leave on friendly terms.

Harvey tensed with alarm when he noticed Mike’s disheveled look, but once the sub came closer and he saw the battered knuckles, he relaxed, realizing it was a fistfight rather than an organized beating.

“I hope the other guy looks worse than you do,” the Dom commented, his expression still firm and humorless.

Mike chuckled and then winced as he wiped his broken lip with the back of his hand. “He does,” he assured the Dom though his smile looked stretched and disingenuous. Mike gave as good as he got, but the loss of friendship hurt him more than the broken lip did.

Harvey must have picked up on his mood because he didn’t comment further on the topic and Mike was grateful for it.

xxx

* * *

xxx

“Follow me,” Harvey ordered when they got back to his condo. Mike felt his heart skip a beat, suddenly realizing that he still had his punishment coming. Not like he could really forget about it, what with Harvey’s displeased expression, deafening silence and curt answers. But now that they were back in the privacy of Harvey’s apartment, his tie felt kinda like a noose around Mike’s neck.

“Sit down,” the Dom pointed at the sofa in the living room and disappeared into the bathroom. Mike obeyed, waiting anxiously for his doom, his palms getting sweaty and his butt tingling in anticipation. It was a weird mixture of fear and excitement that the idea of discipline always induced in him.

Harvey reappeared with the same stern expression he was wearing for the past couple of hours, but in his hands, counter to Mike’s expectations of some horrifying spanking implement, was a medkit.

The Dom sat down opposite of Mike and grabbed his chin in a firm yet gentle grip, examining his face for further damage. Finding none, he took a wet wipe and cleaned Mike’s wound with a couple of careful strokes and then applied an antiseptic with a tip of a cotton swab. Mike tried not to pull a face at the sting, especially since there was absolutely no compassion coming from Harvey, his face a mask of stony disapproval.

“Stand up,” came the curt command. Harvey took off Mike’s ripped jacket, gave it a quick calculating glance, and then threw it into the trash bin with visible irritation.

“I thought I told you to get a new suit,” he chided, his tone laced with annoyance.

“I did! I spent 500 bucks!” Mike replied defensively.

“For how many suits?”

“Five.” When Harvey rolled his eyes in exasperation, Mike pouted, “What does it matter how much money I spend on suits anyway?”

“People respond to how we are dressed, and you are a direct reflection of me, so like it or not, you must look the part. This is non-negotiable.”

Mike frowned but held his tongue. It was easy for Harvey to go around throwing money on 5 thousand dollar designer suits when his annual income was nearing 7 digits. Mike never even had that much on his bank account, let alone spend it all on just one suit.

“Does anything else hurt? Ribs, shins, kidneys?” Harvey inquired, his expression serious and business-like. Mike shook his head, torn between feeling butthurt at Harvey’s condescension and happy at his concern.

“Alright. Go to the bedroom and find yourself a corner to plant your nose into.” 

_ Oh, fuck no. _“Harvey, this is not my…”

Harvey cut him off sharply, “Mike, you really don’t wanna test me right now.”

“But I…”

“One.”

Mike felt his stomach drop. He despised when Doms started to count, it was ridiculous and childish. Admittedly, it rarely prompted the response he was having right now, and usually he replied something sassy about first-grade math skills. However, he wasn’t quite that suicidal to say something of the sort to the already irate Dom, or rather he still might have, if that Dom wasn’t Harvey. He opted for a sulky look that received no sympathy, and made his way to the bedroom, his tread loud enough to hint on the attitude, but not enough to invite retribution.

Mike faced the corner feeling incredibly stupid. He absolutely hated this. He was a 27-year-old grownass man in a fucking suit, standing in the corner like a toddler. And he was pretty sure that Harvey made him do it because he knew Mike would hate it and because there was absolutely nothing even remotely sexual about it. If he told Mike to at least take his clothes off, then it would be more bearable, it would make more sense.

Mike worked himself to a state of supreme annoyance in just a couple of minutes. Harvey apparently wanted to build the anticipation, but Mike was going to show him just how much this didn’t work on him. Harvey was gonna get an earful and Mike will…

“Come here,” Harvey called him, sitting down on the bed. Mike cringed at the cold tone but obeyed, sauntering towards the Dom somewhat reluctantly.

Harvey positioned him between his knees and pinned him down with a stern look. Mike searched his face for a hint of previous warmth, but there was none. Then his eyes fell on the belt that was lying next to Harvey, and a massive lump formed in his throat. Mike tried to persuade himself that it was a good thing, that leather implements were his favorite, but somehow he had a hard time appreciating it.

“Tell me why are you getting punished.”

Mike unglued his eyes off the belt and looked at the Dom, “Because you are pissed.”

A shadow passed over Harvey’s face. “Alright, go back to the corner,” he ordered firmly. He wasn’t surprised Mike was giving him an attitude, but he hoped, the sub would sense when it was not appropriate anymore.

“No wait, I’m sorry,” Mike immediately retracted, “I just blurt stuff when I’m nervous. Ask me again.”

He saw Harvey’s lips twitch ever so slightly and it put him at ease, knowing that the kind, playful Harvey was still in there somewhere.

“Well?”

“Cause I kept the drugs, and used the office to hide it, even though I promised that this won’t be an issue,” Mike answered.

“Why did you?” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice and Mike felt horrible, like he let the man down somehow.

“I told you, I wanted to hedge my options, and I was mad at Trevor.”

“Good job Mike. Frankly, I’m surprised your ‘friend’ is still alive and in condition to beat you up,” Harvey commented, pointing at his face.

Mike frowned, it didn’t occur to him that in 2 weeks the drug traffickers could have simply killed Trevor. “Well, Trevor shouldn't have....”

Harvey waved his hand, “I don’t care about Trevor,” he snapped, “You put a target on _yourself_, don’t you get it? And as I said, you are…”

“A direct reflection of you,” Mike finished the sentence for him. “And I could drag you and your company into some shady shit. I get it and I’m sorry, Harvey. This was not my intention.”

Harvey gave him a hard look, not acknowledging the apology. Then he simply unbuttoned Mike’s trousers and pulled them down to his knees. Then his boxers followed the same suit and Mike flushed from the indignity of it. He was fine with nudity, but being bared for the punishment was simply humiliating.

Harvey stood up and planted a pillow on the edge of the bed. “Bend over.” 

Mike didn’t argue, he was actually relieved to finally get on with the punishment. Harvey’s scolding and disappointment were far worse in his opinion.

“Your safeword is 'red'. Don’t bother with 'yellow'. Getting you out of your comfort zone is kinda the point here,” Harvey told him, as he took the belt and folded it over with a crack, the sound making Mike’s insides dance lambada.

“I thought I don’t get a safeword.”

“I said you don’t get to safeword out of a punishment, meaning you are getting a strapping whether you like it or not. But safeword is always there for emergencies,” Harvey corrected him and then added with a softer tone, “I want to discipline you, Mike, not damage you. The safeword will never be ignored.”

Mike nodded, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. He didn’t really think Harvey would seriously hurt him, but it still felt nice hearing the Dom confirm it.

Harvey took it as his cue to start with the punishment and landed the first blow with a resounding thwap. And boy oh boy, Mike was not prepared for it. He swallowed a silent scream, digging his hands into the bedsheets. Harvey obviously didn’t bother with a warmup like many Doms did. But then again, this was not a pain play. Harvey was not easing him into it, he was punishing him, and he did warn Mike, that it won’t be pleasant.

Before Mike could fully recuperate from the first blazing lash, there was already a second one. _ Sweet mother of ..._ _That hurt like a bitch! _

Harvey didn’t spare him anything, as he put his shoulder behind the punishing blows, falling into a steady rhythm. He could tell that the pain became too much for Mike already at the fifth stroke, but the sub stubbornly refused to let his distress be known. Harvey allowed himself a small smile. He knew Mike’s pride could rival his own, and he had to give it to the sub for taking it like a champ, even though technically it worked against him. Not that Harvey could be easily manipulated, but he was not immune to the display of distress. Every Dom reacted to it, it was in their DNA, it triggered the instincts to protect the vulnerable sub, even if the Dom was the one inflicting the pain.

Mike had to grit his teeth to keep himself from yelping. This was so much worse than he expected. His bottom throbbed something awful, the pain edging on unbearable. Whether it was because of the strength behind the smacks, lack of warmup, or different mindset that Harvey warned him about, Mike didn’t know. They were still in single digits but Mike already knew that he won’t be able to take much more with his dignity intact.

“This is the first and the last time we are having this conversation, Mike. You will NOT put yourself at risk like that again. Do I make myself clear?”

Oh great, now Harvey found a good time to start asking questions! Mike ignored the question working on his breathing, but the next lash brought a genuine whimper out of him.

“Do I make myself clear?” Harvey repeated sternly.

“Yes, Sir!” Mike replied automatically. He didn’t even realize that he added the honorific till there was a sudden pause in the strapping, and Mike felt utterly mortified. This never EVER happened before! Out of all the acquiescent responses Harvey got out of him since they met, this was not even the most submissive one, but it was definitely the most telling one. And all it took Harvey was a bit of a scolding and a couple of beltsmacks. So much for impossibility to be beaten into submission. Mike was a complete wuss after all.

Harvey would lie, if he said that hearing that title from Mike, didn’t feel good. The response was genuine, just like when Harvey roasted him for falling asleep at his cubicle after pulling 2 all-nighters in a row. Back then Mike didn’t even notice that he did it. Now he very much did, and if Mike’s whole body tensing was any indicator, the sub was horrified. 

“Good boy,” Harvey said quietly, brushing his hand over Mike’s throbbing cheeks. He didn’t want to coddle the sub, he was disciplining him after all, but he wanted to offer reassurance. To his surprise, instead of relaxing, Mike grew completely rigid.

_ Oh my God! I’m going to cry just because he petted me. _Mike didn’t even realize how much he craved Harvey’s approval, till he finally heard it again. He never felt so vulnerable in his entire life. And it was freaking him out. 

It was almost a relief when Harvey resumed the punishment. Almost. The lump that formed in his throat after hearing the gentle praise never went away, and with every crack of the belt, his resolve at stoicism was slowly slipping away. He couldn’t help the soft noises of distress escaping his mouth with every blow now.

_ I can do this. I can do this. I can do this. _Crying in front of Harvey over a spanking would be beyond humiliating and Mike was not ready to do that. 

“You are smart and capable Mike, there is no reason for you to be insecure. And hedging your chances with drugs is just plain stupid. Frankly, I expected better from you.” Harvey’s tone was rather mild, but it cut through Mike’s defenses like a hot knife through butter.

_ Oh fuck, I can’t do this! _ “I’m sorry!” Mike choked back a sob. His vision blurred and his breath caught in a silent howl when 3 scorching whacks landed in quick succession. _ Please, no more! _

Mike actually said it out loud, his voice barely audible, but it positively killed Harvey’s initial plan to give him a couple more for a round number. The Dom threw the belt on the bed and patted Mike’s back gently to let him know it was over.

Mike struggled to get his breathing under control, as he subtly wiped the wetness from his eyes. This was so embarrassing!

Harvey let the sub compose himself for a minute before helping him up. He grasped Mike’s chin gently and examined his face, much the same way he did after he spanked him in the morning. Mike dropped his gaze knowing his bloodshot eyes and stuffed nose were giving him away.

“You took it very well,” Harvey commented, his tone neutral, but Mike knew Harvey meant it as a compliment.

Mike didn’t agree. He was pretty sure he had never taken a thrashing quite so poorly before, but he felt so raw and vulnerable he didn’t even try to argue. Harvey must have seen it on his face, because he pulled him into a tight embrace, and Mike resisted it for a whole millisecond before melting into it with a satisfied sigh.

For a while, neither of them said anything, Harvey holding him tight and petting his head and Mike <strike>purring with pleasure</strike> allowing him to do it.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” Mike confirmed, still avoiding eye contact, “I just need a minute to myself.” Just a bit of time to build back the protective walls and deal with this uncharacteristic reaction.

“No.”

Mike raised his eyes in surprise. Why would Harvey deny him such an innocent request?

Harvey answered the unspoken question by taking Mike’s hand and leading him back to bed. He sat the sub down and ignored the tightness in his chest when Mike let out a pained wince, which affected Harvey more than he was willing to admit. He then started to undress Mike, leaving only boxers and his tie, and then followed the same suit, except taking the time to hang his ridiculously expensive outfit in the closet.

Mike watched him with a dumbfounded expression. Harvey's actions and visible arousal clearly indicated that things were going in direction of sex. And Mike was not really against that, he just didn't understand why couldn't Harvey give him a few minutes of recuperation time, first.

"Lie down," Harvey ordered and joined Mike in bed. When the Dom wrapped his hands around Mike, spooning him from behind, and then proceeded to murmur sweet reassurances and shower him with affection through kisses and gentle stroking, Mike realized that sex was not on the agenda right now. Harvey was... cuddling him.

“I don’t need coddling, Harvey,” Mike muttered softly, embarrassed at how much he was enjoying the attention.

Harvey smiled fondly, recognizing the weak attempt of 'brat Mike' to take over. “But I do,” the Dom replied, not letting up.

Mike wanted to object that that was not how aftercare worked, but he felt so nice, warm, and deep in subspace, his mouth refused to argue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC
> 
> PS: I left the number of smacks vague on purpose because everyone has a different idea of what is appropriate and people get easily triggered at numbers. Just insert whatever feels right to you.


	7. Power play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fluff and Smut incoming.

Mike never thought he would say it, but apparently it was possible to be cuddled to sleep. Because that’s exactly what happened. He kept waiting for Harvey’s touch to change from comforting to suggestive but it never happened, and Mike passed out within 15 minutes or so.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t that much of a surprise. He was working on little sleep all week and last night was no different. Add the emotional turmoil of (yet again) nearly getting fired, fighting with Trevor and Harvey being mad at him (and Mike was flabbergasted at how much the latter actually affected him), it was no surprise that his body shut down as soon as that weight was lifted off his shoulders.

Mike yawned and stretched glancing around. He was alone in Harvey’s bedroom and it was dark outside, he must have slept at least 4 or 5 hours. He turned on his back and his butt reminded him of the strapping he got. Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt nearly as much as he thought it would. He got up and went to check the damage in the mirror. There was a bit of residual blush and a couple of faint marks, where the belt bit the strongest, but overall, it was alarmingly scant.

_ Really?! That’s what left me almost sobbing my eyes off? What the actual fuck! _Mike glared at the mirror as if it somehow personally offended him and then sighed. Perhaps the mindset was really a thing. He was pretty sure that if this was a usual scene with some of the Doms he played with before, not only Mike would be absolutely fine, he would likely even run his mouth provoking the Dom whether his arm was hurting already. 

Mike knew that Harvey didn’t see it as a big deal, but he was still embarrassed over this uncharacteristic display of weakness. However, he couldn’t hide in the bedroom forever, at some point he had to face the Dom again. Besides, he was getting really hungry too. Mike dressed in clothes that Harvey left him from the morning, and went to look for the Dom. 

Harvey was sitting in the living room, notebook in his lap, his face in full work mode. Hearing Mike’s approach, his eyes shot upwards and his face stretched into a pleased grin.

“Hello there, Sleeping Beauty.”

“If I’m Sleeping Beauty, does that make you Prince Charming?”

“Prince Charming is from Cinderella. In Sleeping Beauty it’s Prince Phillip,” the Dom corrected him.

Mike shook his head in disbelief, “And why do you even _ know _ that?” he laughed.

Harvey didn’t appear embarrassed at all, “Well, being one, I need to know my competition,” he remarked wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“I’ll order a take out. You missed lunch by the way, which is in violation of the terms of employment I set for you. So I’m afraid, I’m gonna have to let you go,” Harvey schooled his features, his expression blank.

Mike was not buying it. “Ha-ha, that was almost funny,” he said sarcastically.

“If that’s how you treat your new unemployed status, I’m happy for you.”

“You are fucking with me.”

Harvey smirked, “Oh I intend to. Now that you don’t work for me anymore and there is no conflict of work ethics.”

Mike wavered. “Wait, you are serious?”

“Uh-huh,” the nonchalant tone, with which Harvey said it both alarmed and outraged Mike.

“WHAT?!”

“Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument,” Harvey replied calmly. There was no trace of dominance in his voice, his face all business-like.

Mike frowned. “Are you lawyering me right now?”

“Yes.”

_ Uf...must be one of his wicked mentoring games. _Harvey liked to challenge Mike to verbal sparring. It usually happened at work. Harvey would invent a case and then proceed to stomp Mike’s arguments to the ground using his experience, wisdom, sneaky falacitical argumentation or simply bending the rules according to his needs. Mike never came on top, but that was not the point, anyway - Harvey wanted him to think outside the box and come up with unorthodox solutions.

Well, they say the best defense is a good offense. “I’m gonna sue you for wrongful termination.”

Harvey’s lips twitched ever so slightly. “Based on?”

Mike knew that the whole ‘6 hours a night, 3 meals a day’ was a load of bull, and would never stand in court, but then again Harvey had also some very legit reasons to actually fire him. Like getting high during work hours, or sleeping in his cubicle. So Mike had to come up with something that would trump the minor work misconduct.

“Sexual harassment,” Mike declared smugly, watching Harvey’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “I refused to submit to you and you just couldn’t take it.”

“Uhh, playing dirty.” Harvey squinted his eyes, his expression playful. “You would perjure yourself?”

“Of course not, it would be simply _ my _ understanding of the situation,” Mike shot back convincingly. “And it sure sounds like a more believable reason than me missing lunch,” he added with a smirk. It would be also a very relatable reason for the jury, since according to statistics, ¾ of the jurors were submissives. And Harvey obviously knew as much, which would explain why he was smiling at Mike with such pleased (if not proud) expression.

“And what if I said the reason being drugs?”

“We’ve been over this, Harvey,” Mike sneered, almost annoyed at how easy the Dom was making it, “You are not going to. Not only it would bring a hell of unflattering publicity, but you remember that you actually hired me _ after _ I showed you the weed, right? And if I recall correctly, you didn’t call the cops either.” He gave Harvey a pointed look and then added in a whisper shielding his mouth provocatively, “Failing to report a crime.”

Harvey nodded with satisfaction. “Good.”

“Good?” Mike raised an eyebrow at the lack of acknowledgment. Not that Harvey ever gave any.

“Good,” the Dom confirmed, returning his attention to the laptop.

“So, I get to keep my job, then?”

“Uh-huh,” Harvey hummed like he totally lost interest in the topic.

Mike shook his head in exasperation, “You can be such a dick sometimes.” He was pretty sure the whole exercise was Harvey’s way of assessing the damage to Mike’s emotional wellbeing and reestablishing their usual dynamic. And it was sweet, in a twisted kind of way, cause Harvey just outright threatened to fire him… again.

Harvey raised an eyebrow and gave Mike an amused look. “Watch it, pup. You are still wearing my tie. Are you sure your butt is ready for another spanking?”

Mike cast him a sulky glance and rubbed his bottom absentmindedly.

“You ok?” Harvey asked, his face growing serious.

Mike realized what he was doing and folded his hands, embarrassed. “It’s not that bad.”

“Any feelings of emotional distress, anxiety, sadness…”

Mike shook his head. “No Harvey, I don’t do subdrop.” 

“Just like you don’t do subspace, and yet you were balls deep in it.”

Mike opened his mouth to deny it, but Harvey interrupted him. “Lying is a punishable offense, pup.” So he closed it again and tried to ignore the victorious look on Harvey’s face.

xxx

* * *

xxx

The rest of the evening was a calm affair. They ate dinner, during which Harvey kept attempting to poison Mike with sugar. Mike generally liked sweets, but when Harvey pushed a third muffin in his direction, he had to call the Dom out on being ridiculous.

“Are you trying to boost my endorphins or give me diabetes?”

Harvey actually pouted at that. Or at least, that’s what Mike called it when the Dom sulkily snatched the muffin himself and took a big bite without retaliating with some smart comeback.

Harvey proceeded to be obnoxiously considerate the whole evening. He let Mike choose the movie and settled on the sofa with Mike’s head in his lap, brushing through his hair casually, as he read the merger contract. Mike wasn’t paying much attention to the movie either, simply enjoying the closeness and the comforting domesticity of it. He offered Harvey help on the case but the Dom only shook his head telling him to rest. When Mike still sneakily read the contract from bellow and pointed out a mistake that Harvey missed, the Dom cursed, marked it down, and then gave Mike 3 smacks on the bottom for disobedience. Mike giggled like a schoolgirl hoping for a follow-up, but Harvey buried his nose back into work and resumed the petting.

As much as Mike enjoyed the lazy evening, it was not the reason he goaded Harvey into the bet. Mike was in the mood and he wanted to scene. He wanted Harvey to pin him down and show him who is the boss, preferably with a proper punishing fuck. But Harvey didn’t seem to be in a hurry to move things in that direction, so Mike decided to subtly nudge him into action. He stretched on Harvey’s lap brushing his hand over the man’s crotch innocently.

“No.”

Or perhaps he wasn’t as subtle as he thought he was. Harvey took his hand and put it back to Mike’s lap firmly. Mike knew that Harvey was trying to be noble, but the rejection still frustrated him.

“Will you stop treating me like a fragile china set?”

The Dom didn’t look at him, keeping his eyes on the papers he was reading. “Your attempts at topping from the bottom are cute, but the only place they will get you is over my knee.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “I already AM over your knee, Harvey.”

“If you’d rather be face down, that could certainly be arranged,” the Dom remarked matter-of-factly.

Mike has had his fair share of spankings for one day, but then again if one thing led to another… “And then you’d fuck me?”

“No.”

Mike suppressed a groan. “Why not?”

Harvey finally looked at him from behind the file. “Cause you are still flying, even if you refuse to admit it. And I have no desire to be gentle to make up for the hormonal disbalance.”

Mike felt both excited and frustrated at those words. Excited at Harvey’s promise to be rough and frustrated that it was not gonna be happening tonight. He opened his mouth to argue further, but Harvey beat him to it.

“Just watch yourself in the mirror and save me the argument.” His voice didn’t sound dominant or annoyed, it had this mild parental flavor as if Harvey was speaking to a petulant child.

Mike pulled out his phone and checked his face in the frontal camera. Yes, his pupils were dilated, but honestly, he felt fine. Harvey was clearly overthinking it.

“I promise I’m ok. I’m not a newbie, Harvey.”

“Yes, you are.”

And he kinda was. He has never been so deep in the subspace before. Harvey knowing it with such certainty without Mike ever telling him, was kinda annoying and kinda sweet at the same time.

“I really hate you.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow and Mike flushed averting his gaze because even to his own ears it sounded suspiciously like a love confession. 

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike woke up the next morning because something hard kept periodically poking his butt. Given the deep breathing, Harvey must have still been at least partially asleep and was probably doing it subconsciously. Mike chuckled, pushing back his hips and Harvey’s thrusts became a tad more suggestive.

After 5 minutes Mike couldn’t take it any longer, “If you are not going to fuck me now, I’m gonna throw the biggest temper tantrum.”

Harvey snorted in his hair, “Then maybe I should put you in a preemptive time out,” he mused, his voice still groggy with sleep.

“Harvey!” Mike couldn’t help the whiny tone.

“Go to sleep, pup, it’s still early.”

“You are the one who woke me up!”

“Mhm,” Harvey hummed unapologetically and then had the audacity to start falling back asleep, but Mike was not having it.

“Harvey, if you don’t take me right_ now _, I swear I’m going to rape you myself!”

Harvey actually laughed out loud. He stretched and then turned to Mike giving him a lewd predatory look, that made him question his latest statement. In one swift motion, Harvey pounced on top of Mike, pinning his wrists down with his hands, a devious smirk on his face as he looked at his prey. Harvey’s hungry gaze was doing wonders to Mike’s cock, and he had to restrain himself from humping the Dom’s thigh.

Harvey didn’t waste any time and went straight into action (much to Mike’s satisfaction). He cuffed Mike’s wrists to the bedposts the same way he did yesterday morning and then leaned down and gave Mike the most dirty salacious kiss ever, practically fucking Mike’s mouth with his tongue and then biting his lower lip to the point of bruising. It was actually painful but Mike was so turned on, he didn’t care. Gone was the gentle treatment of the previous evening and Mike was so on board with that.

Harvey gave him a couple of dry thrusts as a teaser of what was yet to come and then whispered into his ear seductively, “I don’t respond to threats, pup. I make them.” 

With that, he stood up and started undressing. Mike almost whined with need, as he watched Harvey go around naked, giving Mike an eyeful of his well-sculpt body. Harvey disappeared into the bathroom and Mike heard the sound of an electric toothbrush. He frowned but wrote it off on Harvey’s pedantry. It didn’t occur to him that Harvey actually screwed him and had no intention of coming back, till he heard the sound of the coffee machine in the kitchen. 

_ That son of a bitch! He riled me up and then left me on purpose! _

Ten minutes passed and Mike was fuming with rage. Unfortunately, his anger only fueled his arousal, as his dick decided to enjoy Harvey’s <strike>psychological torture</strike> power-play without Mike’s consent! 

Harvey reappeared in the bedroom wearing a bathrobe and holding a cup of coffee in his hands. His gaze traveled to Mike’s bulging erection and the Dom appeared amused.

Mike glared at him. “This is abuse!” he exclaimed scandalized.

“Hmm, you are right. You did threaten to rape me, after all. You think I should report you?” the Dom mocked with a savage smirk. He sat down on the chair and sipped on his coffee keeping his eyes on Mike’s crotch the whole time.

“You sadistic jerk,” Mike grumbled scowling.

Harvey laughed. “I see you need more time, pup. It’s ok, I’ll take a shower meanwhile. Will you be fine by yourself?”

“Fuck you!” Mike snapped, visibly irritated with Harvey’s game.

“I’ll take it as a yes,” The Dom mused with a smile, setting down the cup and going back to the bathroom.

Mike had to give it to the Dom. Usually, whenever Mike got pushy, he ended up eventually frustrating the Tops. Harvey, on the other hand, remained awfully unaffected and the only one frustrated was Mike himself. Harvey left the door to the bathroom open. Whether it was so that Mike could hear and imagine him showering or out of safety in case Mike needed to safeword, he didn’t know, but the former kept him painfully hard, playing right into Harvey’s hands.

By the time Harvey came back to the room with a (completely out of character) messy wet hair that made him look 10 years younger, Mike’s growing need has successfully curbed his attitude.

“God I love your aftershave,” he commented catching on the pleasant scent.

Harvey seemed to be pleased by Mike’s change of demeanor, but when he went back to the chair to finish his coffee, Mike realized that he was not gonna make it easy for him. It was painfully clear what Harvey wanted him to do. Wait and be quiet. Submit. Acknowledge that he was not the one in control.

Mike was not a patient person and he didn’t like power-play, or so he thought. But Harvey left him little choice on the matter. It was obvious that if Mike wanted to have sex, it will be happening on Harvey’s terms, not his, and the only options Mike really had was either to wait or to safeword, and since the latter would most definitely not lead to sex, he actually only had one option. And so he did.

Harvey’s eyes didn’t leave him the whole time and Mike took solace knowing that Harvey was turned on just as much as Mike was. He couldn’t see the evidence behind the bathrobe, but he could see it in Harvey’s devouring stare. It was slightly disconcerting, actually, because the Dom looked at Mike as if he was a meal he was about to wolf down. And Mike felt exceedingly vulnerable (if not a little scared) under that stare while he was cuffed to a bedpost with nowhere to run.

Minutes passed and all Mike and Harvey did was gaze at each other in some kind of twisted silent foreplay. Mike was getting restless but he refused to cave. Minutes stretched into hours, hours into days, days into… just kidding. It sure felt long, but Harvey DID want to fuck the bratty sub, so once he felt like Mike has learned his lesson in obedience, he stood up and approached the bed.

“Are you going to be a good boy now?” he asked, his expression playful.

Mike grinned back at him, “I can’t promise that,” he cooed teasingly, but when Harvey raised an eyebrow, he added, “But I learned my lesson.”

“Good.” Harvey leaned down and gave Mike another long promising kiss and Mike struggled against the handcuffs with the need to touch him. Harvey unbound him and allowed him to do it, much to Mike’s surprise. But before Mike could fully appreciate his freedom, he was ordered to undress and go on all fours. 

_ Well, don’t mind if I do. _He has been waiting for it for far too long, and as far as he was concerned, he didn’t need any more foreplay nor preparation. But he also knew that pointing that out would go against the very lesson Harvey tried to imprint on him, so he kept his mouth shut and let Harvey thoroughly work him with his fingers.

A moment later he was glad that he did, because damn... Harvey was big, and he did mean it when he said that he ain’t gonna be gentle. Mike had to grip the bedpost to keep himself in position, though he had no intention of keeping silent. It hurt, but in a good way, if he didn’t know any better, he would say it was a hatefuck. But then again… it was just the way he liked it. 

Harvey was yet to find a person who would be as responsive to rough sex as Mike was. For all the reservations the sub had towards being dominated in everyday life, it was clear as day that he absolutely craved being dominated in bed. Harvey grabbed his tie using it as reins, as he rode Mike with hard punishing thrusts. 

At some point, he tugged too hard and Mike immediately tensed, when the tie cut off the air intake. Harvey let go right away, he was not gonna push the sub into his soft limits on the second day. He pulled out of him and Mike let out a dissatisfied groan, which made Harvey chuckle. He then loosened the tie around Mike’s neck and lifted the noose up to his face.

“Open,” came a short command. 

“Open wha..?” But Mike didn’t get to finish that question, because he was gagged with the very tie and before he could fully appreciate Harvey’s range of use for that formal piece of clothing, he was impaled back onto his cock in one forceful thrust.

The sub let out a muzzled cry, “Ah Gah, Haawy!”

“Too much?”

Mike shook his head and even though he couldn’t see it, he was pretty sure that Harvey was wearing that pleased expression on his face.

“Good boy, tap out if you need.”

And even though the tie was biting into the corners of Mike’s mouth and the skin there was likely to get chaffed soon, tapping out was the last thing on his mind while Harvey was fucking his brains out.

They didn’t come together in one perfect glorious moment… no, nothing romantic like that. But it was one very good nasty sex, that left them both properly sweaty and the bedsheets properly dirty, though the latter was all Mike, since Harvey was wearing a condom.

“Wow, that was…” Mike struggled to find a suitable word that would convey his enjoyment without boosting Harvey’s over-inflated ego any more than it already was.

“Best sex of your life? You’re welcome.”

_ As if boosting his ego further was even possible, huh? _ Mike rolled his eyes. “You are the most arrogant, conceited, cocky man I...”

Harvey interrupted him with a playful grin, “You forgot handsome.”

“Did I mention arrogant?”

“It’s not bragging if it’s true.”

Mike shook his head falling back on the pillow. “Yes, it is.”

Harvey pulled him into a one-armed hug and landed a kiss on his temple, “I enjoyed it a lot too, pup.”

“I wouldn’t mind repeating it sometimes…”

When Harvey didn’t respond, Mike grimaced and cursed himself internally for being stupid. He almost forgot about the bet. It was just the weekend. Harvey was his boss and he made it no secret that there was a conflict of ethics. And it was probably for the best that things should go back to normal…

Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are three quotes from the show in this chapter and one of them does not actually belong to Harvey. Whoever guesses which one and who said it, gets an imaginary cookie^.^  
(I mean you could google it, but where is the fun in that?)


	8. Monday

Monday…

A word that has so many negative connotations, it should be a swear-word. Mike didn’t exactly dread this day, well he disliked Mondays just as any normal human being, but in this case, he was particularly not looking forward to facing his boss. He just didn’t know how to act around Harvey after the weekend.

Their parting was rather anticlimactic and not a little awkward, with a parental pat on the back and a curt “See you tomorrow” being all Mike got out of him. No kiss, no hug, no affection, no teasing, no mention of the bet. Nothing. 

However, Mike knew that avoiding Harvey would solve nothing. He worked for the guy. And the sooner they resume their usual routine, the sooner he can bury his conflicted feelings. 

“Where is Harvey?” Mike asked Donna frowning at the empty office. Not like Harvey ever told him his whereabouts, but usually by noon, he was at the office, fetching Mike at his cubicle with some witty remark, making all the other associates jealous. Now it was already after two, and Mike didn’t feel like doing any work for Louis and hoped Harvey would throw him a bone.

“Out searching for the CEO,” she answered without taking her eyes off the computer screen. “How was the weekend, who won?”

Mike was taken aback, there was no way Harvey told her, right? And yet, the nonchalant tone with which she asked it, made it seem like a well-known fact.

“How did you…?”

“I’m Donna.”

“You know you keep using that as an argument, but that doesn’t really explain anything.”

“Doesn’t it?” Donna chirped, her expression making it clear that she did it on purpose and had no intention to elaborate on her source.

Mike folded arms on the chest and narrowed his eyes. “So what is it? Clairvoyance? Telepathy? Aliens?”

“CIA,” Harvey stated, coming from behind him. He looked at Donna quizzically, “What was the question?”

“I asked Mike, who won the bet,” she explained and the Dom didn’t appear nearly as surprised as Mike was.

“And you even have to ask? I’m offended!” Harvey touched his chest with a fake heartbroken expression.

Donna waved her hand in dismissal. “Nah, I just wanted to see, whether the Junior here is still in denial or not.”

“Oh, I’m sure, he knows he crashed and burned that bet.”

“I’m standing right here!” Mike reminded them, annoyed at being overlooked so blatantly.

“And why are you here?” Harvey turned to Mike, “Don’t you have Bainbridge briefs to go through?”

“No, Louis saved me… wait, how do you know about that?” Mike certainly hoped that his latest mishap wouldn’t reach Harvey.

“My associate got played like a fiddle, you bet your ass I was informed that I employed a… what was the word?” Harvey glanced at Donna for help. 

“A sucker,” she offered, smirking viciously.

“Oh yes, a sucker.”

Mike rolled his eyes demonstratively. “Yes, yes. I cast a shadow on the image of the ever-perfect Harvey Specter,” he grumbled derisively.

“Yes Rookie, you got owned, but I consider being saved by Louis punishment enough, so I’ll let it slide just this once,” Harvey chaffed him, opening the door to his office and prodding Mike inside.

Mike was not a little relieved when the door closed and he didn’t feel awkward to be alone with the Dom. Harvey seemed to have moved on with such ease... Teasing Mike like he always did, as if he wasn’t the one fucking his brains out less than 24 hours ago. It was disconcerting. But perhaps Harvey didn’t view sex as anything special. Mike’s chest tightened with jealousy, as he realized that today Harvey might be spending the night with some other submissive.

“So have you found somebody for McKernon Motors?” he asked, pushing the unpleasant thoughts out of his head.

The Dom shook his head, the frustration clear on his face.

“What about this Dominic Barone guy who runs the production? He is responsible for engine design and everyone respects him.”

Harvey frowned, “He is an engineer, not a manager.”

“Oh you mean, he _ hates you, _ so you don’t think you could persuade him,” Mike countered with a cocky smirk.

“Nice try lippy,” Harvey shot back teasingly, then his eyes flashed with a new idea, “However...”

Mike raised an eyebrow waiting for Harvey to elaborate. But the Dom was not in the habit of explaining himself. “Let’s go,” he said simply, getting up from his seat.

“What? Where?”

“We are gonna buy McKernon Motors,” Harvey said, his face in full victory mode.

“I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I have enough in my piggy bank,” Mike replied sarcastically.

Harvey gave him a calculating glance and his face twisted with disapproval, “Indeed.”

“What?” Mike asked looking at himself, “Don’t tell me you are mad, cause you only now figured that I can’t afford to buy a company.”

Harvey rolled his eyes, “You certainly don’t _ look _ the part, smartypants. Let’s go, we don’t have much time and we need to make a stop before we approach our buyer.”

xxx 

* * *

xxx 

“Harvey? What are we doing here?” Mike asked, his face twisted with concern, as they entered the overly posh store with designer suits. Mike didn’t have to check the price tags to know they were way out of his price range.

Harvey ignored his question. “Renee!” he greeted the store manager, patting him on the back as if they were long-time friends.

“Harvey, what brings you to my humble kingdom of luxury?” the man replied with a warm smile, that didn’t quite reach his eyes. It felt professionally rehearsed. Mike was sure Renee greeted this way all his customers, making his stretched politeness obvious.

Harvey didn’t seem to mind, which proved that he was a regular here. “This is Mike Ross, _my_ _associate_. I need him to look the part,” he said giving Renee a pointed look. “We only have half an hour or so... Do your magic.”

Mike jabbed Harvey with his elbow and gave him a murderous glare.

Harvey smirked, “On the other hand… take as much time as you need, Renee.”

“Harvey!” Mike hissed when Renee disappeared into the storage room. “What the hell do you think you are doing?”

“I can’t look at those horrible suits any longer,” Harvey replied nonchalantly.

“I can’t afford this place!” Mike snapped scandalized. 

“It’s fine, I’ll take it off your paycheck.”

Mike grabbed Harvey’s arm, his expression serious. “You can’t! I need the money, Harvey, this is no joke. Grandma needs meds and the facility is pretty expensive, I won’t be able to…”

“Fine, I’ll cover it.”

“Harvey!” _ That is even worse! _ “I’m not Pretty Woman!”

“True, you are not that pretty.” 

Mike snorted, “You are not much of a Richard Gere yourself.”

“Yeah, I’m way more handsome,” Harvey replied wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. “Either way, we are buying you proper suits. This is non-negotiable, pup.”

Mike’s chest warmed with a gooey feeling. He wasn’t sure whether it was the tone, the endearment, or the fact that Harvey wanted to spend a shitton of money on him, Mike knew he was going to let him. He realized that if Harvey intended to play the ‘sugar daddy’, there was a chance he wanted _more_…

“So this is how it’s going to be now? You telling me what to do and buying me stuff as if you were my Dom?” he tested the waters.

“No Mike, I’m not your Dom, I’m your _ boss _ ,” Harvey replied, his tone mild, but his words cutting through Mike’s defenses with brutal efficiency. “I tell you what to do because you _ work _ for me. And right now I need you to look presentable because we are about to approach a very rich client and woo him into buying McKernon Motors. And I want it to look like we are doing _ him _ a favor, not vice versa.”

Mike willed his expression to remain impassive. “I can’t let you pay for me.”

Harvey resisted an urge to sigh. The hurt was written all over Mike’s face. But it was better to land a clean cut, than to nurture unnecessary hopes. “You are going to,” he replied firmly. “Not because I’m your Dom, but because you lost the bet and now I am collecting.”

“Very well,” Mike conceded, hoping he managed to school his features enough to conceal his raging emotions. “But then stop calling me ‘pup’.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike wasn’t sure why he was so hurt by Harvey’s rejection. It wasn’t even a rejection, per se, just clearing things up. And Mike knew this much all along. Hell, he has spent the whole day trying to adapt to the thought and go back to being just Harvey’s paralegal. Back at the office with Harvey and Donna teasing him so casually, it felt natural. It felt normal. It didn’t _ hurt. _

And now, sitting in the car next to Harvey in an expensive new suit, all Mike could think of was how much he hated the Dom at the moment. Harvey kept bossing Mike around, poking his nose into things that certainly didn’t concern him if he was to be just Mike’s employer. He kept lapsing into the Dom-mode, acting as if he had the right to do it, and then when confronted about it, pulling back as if it was never his intention, to begin with.

Harvey ended up buying Mike 3 suits off the rack, (although Mike wouldn’t be surprised if they were one of the kind) and another 2 suits that will be custom-tailored in a couple of weeks. He added 10 shirts and 6 ties to the purchase without asking for Mike’s opinion. Mike just kept his mouth shut the whole time, letting him spend what must have been over 10 thousand dollars. Somehow, it didn’t feel like a treat. Harvey used the bet win on something so impersonal, Mike felt cheated.

Mike has had his fair share of casual sex. It never threw him off his game. Sex with Harvey was good, great even, but it didn’t shake Mike’s world, rewrite his views on the universe or make him wanna conceive children (not that it was biologically possible, but many male subs found the idea of ‘m-preg’ appealing). Mike should be able to move on just fine. Or so he kept telling himself…or rather, _lying_ to himself.

Because Mike knew, that it was not the sex, that got through his defenses and left him raw and vulnerable. It was his first trip into the deep subspace. And for the Dom, who put him there and brought him back, to act as if it was nothing special… _hurt._

“So who is the mysterious buyer?” Mike asked breaking the silence.

“Somebody who owes me one.”

“Really? He owes you one, so he is just gonna buy a company?” 

Harvey shook his head with a tinge of annoyance at Mike’s attitude. “He is a car enthusiast. We just have to get him and Barone in the same room. You were right, I’m not gonna persuade either of them. But I won’t have to. Once I lay the cards, they will persuade each other that it’s a win-win.”

“Hmm… Thank you, Mike, for giving me that idea,” Mike gibed, elbowing Harvey with a teasing smile. 

That won him a reluctant chuckle as Harvey’s features softened and the tension between them somewhat dissipated, “I’ll thank you if it works.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

It worked. Just as Harvey predicted. Once they told Barone, that he was about to lose his job, he was on board, ready to persuade any potential buyer who would keep production in the US. And he did.

Laurence, the mysterious rich Dom who owed Harvey one, was always a fan of McKernon engines, so it didn’t take much wheedling by an engine designer himself for him to give a better purchase offer on the table.

Mike was once again amazed by how Harvey played people to do his bidding. No wonder he was known to be the best closer in New York. He charmed everyone around him. People either envied him, wanted to sleep with him or to _ be _ him. Mike fell into all of those categories.

They ended up in some fancy bar celebrating the acquisition of McKernon Motors. Barone, as a family guy, excused himself after an hour or so, but Mike and Harvey had the obligation to entertain Laurence for the night. Harvey and Laurence got into a heated discussion over the cars and Mike felt like an odd man out. He didn't even have a license, so he just sat tight, looked pretty and drank whiskey.

As the evening progressed, so did the level of alcohol in Mike’s blood. It’s not that he couldn’t hold his liquor, he just didn’t drink that often. Harvey kept sending him warning glances but if anything they served as an incentive to drink more.

“So, Mike, how did you get the job?” Laurence asked him, switching his attention from Harvey.

“Huh?”

“Harvey worked alone for as long as I’ve known him.”

Mike’s face stretched into a mischevious grin. “I’m not a car fan, but I've actually read this issue of Road&Track,” Mike pointed at the journal Laurence was holding. “Open it on any page and read something.”

Laurence narrowed his eyes giving Mike a suspicious look, but he obliged him and read, “Not all Corvette generations spawn a ZR1…”

“...but the previous one from 2009 left quite an impression with its 638 horsepower LS9. Eight years wiser, the Corvette team used all they had to create a worthy successor. Looking at all the figures, the C7 ZR1 shouldn't disappoint,” Mike kept going on, reading from his internal hard-drive. Laurence’s eyes bulged out in surprise - it was a typical reaction people had when Mike revealed his 'superpowers'. "Page thirty-four with a picture of a flashy orange corvette at the top right corner," he added smugly.

“What the…?” Laurence glanced at Harvey, whose expression remained scandalously unaffected.

“Eidetic memory,” Mike explained, pointing at his temple.

“Wow…” Laurence shook his head in disbelief, then he turned to Harvey, “How are you not impressed by this?”

Harvey waved his hand sipping on the whiskey, “Mike is a one-trick pony.”

“The trick that keeps on giving,” Mike countered with a self-satisfied smirk.

Laurence chuckled and for the next half an hour, Mike kept entertaining the Dom with his brain, doing quick mathematical calculations, reciting various movie scripts or repeating presidential speeches from years before.

“I’d never get tired of this,” Laurence uttered with astounded expression.

“I bet you wouldn’t,” Mike replied and watched as Dom’s expression turned from amazed to interested. Mike knew that he just flirted with the Dom right in front of Harvey and he didn’t have to look at him to know that his boss was displeased. He could almost feel Harvey’s glare boring a hole on his back. And it felt damn good.

Mike excused himself to the bathroom and was not surprised when Harvey appeared there 2 minutes later to give him a piece of his mind.

“You should ease up on the alcohol,” the Dom said sternly, leaning against the wall.

“I’m fine,” Mike retorted as he washed his hands.

“No, you are not. In fact, I’m ordering you a cab and sending you home.”

Mike turned to face him, “Who said, I’m going to spend the night _at home _?” he taunted lifting his chin. Harvey’s jaw tightened and Mike knew he hit the nerve. 

“I am,” Harvey replied closing the distance between them menacingly.

“You are jealous,” Mike sneered in his face, “Unfortunately for you, you have no say in this.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Harvey shot back breaching Mike’s personal space, “You are not going to sleep with the _client_, because it could jeopardize the _ deal _ that we just pulled off!”

The Dom was standing just inches away from him and looked royally pissed, and yet instead of feeling intimidated, Mike fell into a full brat mode.

“Also known as - you’re jealous,” he mocked him. 

“You think this is funny?”

“Mr. Jelly Specter.”

“Well, now you are just asking for it,” Harvey growled, his eyes flashing with dark promise.

“And what are you gonna do about it?” Mike taunted and for a moment he was sure Harvey was going to kiss him. Not gently or romantically, but roughly, bruising his lips and stating his claim. The desire, the need to control and possess was written all over Harvey’s face. The Dom wanted to punish him and Mike was already half hard in anticipation as they stared into each other’s eyes.

But that moment passed and Harvey’s expression turned back to his usual mask of condescending superiority. The Dom took a step back, putting the distance between them and Mike released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. Though what he felt was not a relief, but disappointment.

“Go, pay your goodbyes to Laurence, and then you are going home. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Harvey told him firmly, his tone reserved and professional but laced with Dom command, forcing Mike into obedience.

Mike didn’t need to be told twice. There were only so many rejections one could take in a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC
> 
> It's ok, I'm annoyed with Harvey too.


	9. The Fifth Amendment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The Fifth Amendment Right - the privilege against self-incrimination, the constitutional right of a person to refuse to answer questions or otherwise give testimony against himself or herself._
> 
> Warning: artwork at the end of the chapter, which is nsfw-ish^^
> 
> Author's note: I play around with events of 2x12 episode.  


"Where the hell have you been?"

That wasn't the greeting Mike had expected from his boss when he entered the office. Sure they might have not left things the best way yesterday, but he didn't think Harvey would still be pissed the next day. The tone and expression on the Dom's face made his displeasure all too obvious and Donna's worried glance from behind the glass door confirmed that Harvey was indeed in a shitty mood.

"Uhm…" Mike struggled to decipher what did he do to make Harvey so angry.

"It's 8:30!"

"In the morning?" Mike replied with a confused expression.

"It's 30 minutes past when you were required to be here, which means it's an hour past when you should be here. So where the hell have you been?"

"Home?" Mike offered an obvious answer, "We stayed up late last night. I thought it wouldn't be a big deal if I slept in," he added, frowning. _What happened to the whole 6 hours a night bullshit?_

Harvey's expression didn't soften. "What are the new FTC Title 16 requirements?"

Mike sat down on the couch waving his hand. "Oh, they're nothing. It's a nuisance."

"Trent Devon's worried about them."

"Okay, well, all it is is another form to fill out. So if that's what you're worried about, it's fine," Mike tried to reassure him.

"What I'm worried about is the fact that I could've told him that, had you been at the meeting this morning at 8:00," Harvey barked, pinning him down with a fierce glare.

"What? I checked the schedule. There was nothing on it for this morning!" Mike argued defensively.

"It happened spontaneously, as things do," Harvey snapped, "And I was there. You were not there!" _And God knows where you were and who you were with!_ Though Harvey chose to keep that little bit to himself. Mike already called him out on being jealous, he had no intention to prove him right.

"Well, I don't actually _have_ to be there!" Mike retorted, his own temper rising, "I'm not a lawyer, I'm a paralegal! But you keep calling me your _associate_, so perhaps you forgot that I'm not actually here to do your job!"

Harvey stood up sharply and Mike quickly regretted not keeping his mouth shut. "_Your job_ is whatever I say your job _is_!" he thundered pointing a finger at Mike, "And if this is the attitude you are gonna show, then a shitty paralegal is all you are ever going to be," he scolded harshly.

_Still better than being a dickhead like you!_ Mike opened his mouth to say something of the sort, but Harvey cut him off with a sharp, "Dismissed!" so he just turned on his heel and stormed out of the office with enough attitude to make everyone around them take notice.

Harvey sunk back into the chair and buried his hands into his perfectly gelled hair.

"Shitty paralegal?" Donna asked, as she sneaked into the office quietly and sat down on Harvey's desk tilting her head on the side, her expression reproachful.

Harvey suppressed a groan. It was just like his secretary to catch him lose his temper and then lay into him about it. "Donna, don't. He had it coming."

"He deserved a slap on the wrist. You knocked him across the room!"

"What he _deserves_ is a good walloping," the Dom grumbled irritably.

The redhead snorted, shaking her head, "So _that's_ what this is about."

"Whatever you mean?"

"You cut him off and now you wish you didn't because you can't dom him around anymore. Well, I have news for you Harvey, you can't have it both ways."

The Dom pressed his lips into a thin line and scowled at her, "Donna, it is not your place to tell me how…"

"Harvey, this is not about me," she interrupted, ignoring his irritation, "You can't have your cake and eat it too. Make up your mind and be consistent about it. Jerking him around and yelling at him won't solve anything."

"I swear, I must be the only idiot in Manhattan that puts up with a secretary like you!"

"Yelling at _me_ won't solve anything either," she countered, not at all affected by her boss's sour demeanor, as she stood up and left Harvey alone to ponder over her words.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike went straight to the kitchen to pour himself some generic coffee which normally tasted like mud but since it kinda matched his mood at the moment, he didn't really care. He put in his cup but the coffee maker decided to ruin his day further by refusing to cooperate. After trying several buttons with no result, Mike slapped the stupid machine in exasperation.

"Hey, what are you punishing the poor old Bertha for?" Rachel asked him with a careful smile.

"That thing doesn't deserve a name!" Mike grumbled, glaring at the offending kitchen appliance. Then he sighed and sat down on the chair defeated. "Apparently, coming 30 minutes late is a despicable crime that makes me a shitty paralegal with no future."

"Ouch. But you know how Louis is. Just don't take it to heart," she said, casting him an encouraging smile.

"This wasn't Louis. This was Harvey," Mike clarified dejectedly.

"Double ouch!" Rachel grimaced with sympathy and then decided to take pity on him. She took his cup and made quick work of the troublesome machine, producing a rather decent coffee.

Mike took a sip and gave Rachel a surprised look, "That's...no way, you must be cheating!"

Rachel let out a hearty laugh, "I just treat her right," she explained, petting the coffee maker.

"You must be a Bertha-whisperer," Mike joked, shaking a finger at her.

"Hmm, you kept that particular talent a secret," Donna remarked, coming into the kitchen carrying two coffees from the cafeteria.

Rachel gave her a flirtatious grin, "I can't reveal all my cards, it would take the mystery away."

"The real mystery is, why the hell didn't you warn me that Harvey was about to bite my head off?" Mike turned to Donna.

"I did warn you," the redhead replied casually.

"How?"

"I gave you a warning look."

The sub rolled his eyes, "Donna, what you see right here -" he pointed at himself, "- is male species. We don't respond to non-verbal communication. We are dumb."

Both women laughed and Mike finally relaxed a bit, his lips twitching into a smile.

Donna's phone rang and she left the room to pick it up. Mike eyed the two cups she left on the counter and his smile turned mischievous.

"Mike?" Rachel cautioned him, when he opened the cup that didn't have the cream with caramel, and therefore must have been Harvey's. Without giving it much thought, Mike took the salt shaker and emptied its contents into the cup.

"Wow. Really?" Rachel shook her head in disbelief as Mike stirred the salt with a spoon and covered the coffee with the lid. "That was positively childish."

"You mean _savage_?"

"Oh yes, you really wiped the floor with him now. He is never gonna recover."

"Yup. You don't mess with Mike Ross," he replied, matching her sarcasm.

Donna was still on the phone when she came back to the kitchen to grab the coffees, while Mike and Rachel tried to keep a straight face.

"You could have warned her, you know," Rachel commented when Donna left.

"I did. I gave her a _warning look_."

"You are incorrigible!" she slapped his shoulder laughing and even though Mike knew the salted coffee was petty revenge, he still felt good about it.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike's mood improved considerably after that little act of brattitude. The thing was, pissing Harvey off was one of the ways to bring the dominance out of him. Harvey might have made it clear to Mike not to expect anything more, but he was also obviously not ready to actually let go. Because even though Harvey denied it, Mike knew that he _was _jealous and he still wanted Mike for himself.

So all Mike had to do was simply push his buttons, till the Dom gave in. Parading into Harvey's office and confessing to tampering with his sacred coffee could be a good start.

Or not. Because when Mike approached the office and saw how livid Harvey looked, confessing didn't seem like a good idea anymore. But then again, surely he couldn't be this pissed just because of the ruined coffee.

"Goddammit, Donna!"

"What's going on?" Mike asked carefully as he stepped through the door. He gave Donna an inquiring glance, but she ignored it.

Harvey looked at him, his face a picture of displeasure. "I don't remember inviting you here, get out," he snapped, throwing the coffee into the trash bin.

Mike gulped but didn't budge. "Harvey, what happened?"

"Tanner happened!" the Dom spat, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Huh?"

"Travis Tanner. He is an attorney, and he just pouched another two of my clients. He was behind Chapman too," Harvey explained tiredly.

"Why?"

"The hell do I know, he seems to have it in for me. He always had."

"What did you do?" Mike asked with a frown.

"I DONT KNOW!" Harvey raised his voice in exasperation.

"Well, that's a first," Mike teased and immediately regretted it.

Harvey's expression changed from tired to highly irritated, "Did you come here just to mock me? Get the fuck out of my office!"

Mike pulled up his palms defensively, "Whoah, you don't have to…

Donna started speaking at the same time, "Harvey, that was uncalled…"

"ENOUGH!" Harvey thundered smashing his hand against the desk, effectively silencing both of them. "Last time I checked, it was still MY name on the goddamn wall. Not Ross and sure as hell not Paulsen. This is _my_ firm and you work for _me_!" Harvey fumed pointing his finger at Mike and Donna, "You don't tell me what to _do_, you do as I _say_! Because that's how subordination works. Now get the hell out, so that I can do my job and earn enough money to pay your fucking salaries!"

Donna's bottom lip quivered as she turned and walked out of the room. Mike scuttled behind her, casting her worried glances. The redhead didn't go to her desk but went straight to the bathroom, which was a sign that she didn't get such treatment very often, and Mike felt guilty for ticking Harvey off and getting her involved unnecessarily.

"Donna, wait, slow down," Mike called, running after her. "Listen, he didn't mean it this way…"

Donna suddenly stopped and turned to Mike, but instead of a teary face Mike expected to see, she looked oddly unaffected. "I know," she said, cracking a smile.

"What..? But you looked so…" he stammered, surprised that she apparently faked the whole thing.

"Harvey is going to calm down now and in about an hour his words will start eating away at him. In two hours he will feel really guilty, and he will try to pretend like nothing happened. And when I graciously play along, he will remember what a great forgiving secretary I am, which means that by the end of the day I will have a brand new Louis Vuitton bag on my desk."

Mike gaped at her. "Wow… I have no words." It was not that Mike didn't know Donna was special, but till now he didn't realize just how much.

"It's alright to be speechless when confronted with extraordinary," Donna chirped self-assuredly.

"Remind me to never get on your bad side," he joked, shaking his head.

"Well, you should start by keeping your hands off of Harvey's coffee."

_Oops!_

"Wait, you knew it was me?"

"Oh please," she gave him a look as if it was beyond obvious.

"Does Harvey know? Did you tell him?"

"Why would I tell him? Not like he was mad because of the coffee, though I have to give it to you, you picked the worst possible moment for your little prank."

"So what's the deal with Tanner?"

Donna glanced around to make sure they were not overheard. "Tanner once tried to take on Harvey and Harvey didn't just win, he humiliated him and Tanner lost his secretary in the process. Travis got involved in some shady shit, and she kept covering for him. When Harvey put him into position to either come clean and go to jail or blame everything on her, knowing she would only lose her job…"

"He threw her under the bus," Mike deduced.

Donna nodded. "She never forgave him and he never forgave Harvey," she explained, then a shadow crossed her face, "But what Harvey doesn't know is that she was also Tanner's submissive."

"That's what makes it personal," Mike mused and then narrowed his eyes at Donna, "But how do you know it if Harvey doesn't?"

"Secretaries talk…," she shrugged, "For Harvey, it would be too close to home and I didn't want him to feel bad about it."

Mike wanted to ask more, but he knew Donna was already overstepping by telling him this much. "Don't you think Harvey should know why is Travis targeting him?"

She sighed pursing her lips. "Perhaps he should."

xxx

* * *

xxx

Harvey came to Mike's cubicle around noon, wearing an apologetic smile and holding out a bagel as a peace offering.

Mike was not really mad at him anymore, knowing Harvey was having a bad day and his stupid joke didn't help things at all.

"I need you to help me figure out how to keep Trent Devon," Harvey said and Mike guessed that that was as close to an apology as he was gonna get from the Dom. So he decided to focus on the 'I need you' part, accepted the bagel with a chuckle and followed Harvey upstairs to his office.

Donna beamed at him from her desk flashing a brand new handbag with a smirk.

Mike shook his head in disbelief, "Really? She gets a new purse and I get a _bagel_?!" he deadpanned scandalized.

"She is special."

"I have an eidetic memory, doesn't that make me special?" he said once the door closed behind them.

"If you have to ask…"

"You know I keep wondering, you and Donna, have you ever...?" Mike let the question trail off.

Harvey cast him a 'none of your business' look but still replied, "No."

"Is she a Dom?"

Harvey just smiled at him, his expression not giving anything away.

"A Switch?"

The Dom's face remained blank.

"Come on, surely not a sub?"

"You will never know," came Donna's voice from the dynamic of Harvey's landline.

Mike gave Harvey a startled glance.

"Yes Mike, I listen," the phone answered him.

"She can do this?"

"As I said, she is special. And she doesn't really ask for permission," Harvey replied with a shrug.

"Hmm, but can she do thiiiiis?" Mike chorused in imitation of a famous YouTuber, as he swung backwards reclining his chair.

Harvey looked at him as if he was mentally challenged.

"Pewdiepie," Mike explained the reference, looking at Harvey with a 'come on' expression.

"Pewdie-what?"

"Oh man, you are old!"

"And you are about to lose your end of trial bonus check," Harvey remarked unamused.

Mike wavered. "Wait, there is an end of trial bonus?"

"Not anymore."

"There is no such thing, is there?"

"You will never know."

xxx

* * *

xxx

The rest of the week went pretty much in the same fashion. Harvey and Mike worked together, argued, bantered and joked as if the weekend never happened. Harvey was still on edge and occasionally lost his temper on Mike and Mike retaliated with incessant cheek and some harmless prank.

One day he reorganized all Harvey's records and then lured Louis in to take the blame. Harvey yelled so loud, it could be heard all the way to Jessica's office. She gave Harvey a piece of her mind and Harvey was fuming the whole day, while Mike strategically stayed out of his sight and felt like a king of the world.

The other day he prepared the question sheets for two different depositions. And then sneakily switched them around. What he didn't know though, was that they were happening at the same time and the other deposition was led by Jessica, who only covered for Harvey at the last moment, because he gave her the line of questioning. Except… it was a wrong one, and while Harvey had no trouble improvising on the spot because it was his case, after all, Jessica was hung out to dry and had to reschedule, making her and the firm look incompetent.

Mike didn't know what she told Harvey, but Harvey took the rest of the day off, which happened… well never. That's when Mike realized two things. First - he was done with pranks. And second, he was not going to confess to any of those, because it would not just push the Dom's buttons… he could actually get fired.

So instead of getting butthurt whenever Harvey lost his temper, Mike fully invested into figuring out how to keep Trent Devon, because after all, that's what Harvey hired him for.

It turned out that Trent was being poached by Allison Holt of Bratton-Gould, who was tipped off by _surprise, surprise_ Travis Tanner. But unlike Travis, Allison didn't have a personal vendetta against Harvey, so there had to be money involved.

Mike found out that a company, Flash-Start, had recently spoken about its interest in Trent's work, and apparently, Allison represented a hedge fund that was about to buy the controlling interest. This deal would offer Devon a lot of money and he would get to run both companies.

Harvey spotted right away that such a deal was too good to be true, and offered Trent to look over the paperwork for him, free of charge. So he and Mike settled for another all-nighter at the office to find out what exactly was too good about the deal.

Mike didn't mind the after hours. The truth was, working side by side with Harvey was the most enjoyable part of the job. And even though Harvey kept himself in check to remain fully professional with him, he was still more laid back and open when they were alone like this.

The Dom rarely said it, but Mike knew that Harvey appreciated his commitment and loyalty and that he valued Mike's opinion, even if he spent the better part of the day ridiculing anything Mike said. It might not be the "more" that Mike wanted but it was still something.

"Harvey, you were right." Mike suddenly jumped off his seat, "The deal IS too good to be true. The financials don't support it. Look," he pointed at the numbers he calculated that it would take to uphold the promises.

"Son of a…" Harvey cursed under his breath, "They don't want Trent's company. After the deal, they're just gonna sell it off for the spare parts."

"They never wanted Trent's company, they wanted Trent and buying his company was just a way to bust his non-compete," Mike finished Harvey's train of thought.

The Dom regarded Mike with a satisfied grin. It wasn't the words of praise that Mike would like to hear, but he knew his boss was pleased with him.

Harvey stretched and glanced at the clock. It was only half-past twelve, they managed to crack this case way sooner than he expected. He took a sip of the leftover coffee and grimaced.

"I'd kill for a proper latte macchiato right now."

Mike chuckled, "Well as long as they don't add salt in it."

"Yeah, don't even get me started on that," Harvey agreed, wincing at the memory and then frowned, "I never told you about the coffee."

Mike's stomach did a flip flop but he willed his tone to remain nonchalant, "Donna did."

"I told her the coffee was ruined, I never used the word 'salt'," Harvey countered, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Mike always had a shitty poker-face, so it took one look for Harvey to figure out the culprit.

He stood up and pinned Mike with a death glare. "It was you." It wasn't a question or an accusation, it was a statement.

"Look, I was mad. It was just a prank," Mike offered timidly, standing up and taking an instinctive step back.

"Just a prank? What are you, a teenager? You get mad and retaliate with some stupid joke?" Harvey's face suddenly changed with realization, "The records! That was you too?!" he demanded, his nostrils flaring in indignation.

When Mike didn't deny it right away he lost the opportunity to deny it at all, because his hesitation was an answer in itself.

_Uh-oh, Houston we have a problem._ Harvey didn't look mildly irritated anymore. He looked pissed, and he was approaching Mike menacingly.

"Harvey, calm down, it was a harmless joke," Mike argued, backing away from the irate Dom.

"Harmless? I bit Louis's head off for that and Jessica bit off mine! I was lucky she even agreed to sit at that deposition for me after that!" he growled and when Mike's face flushed even deeper red, Harvey realized that he just hit the nail on the head.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me!" He closed the remaining distance between them in two quick strides… not like Mike could retreat any further, his back was already against the glass wall.

"The deposition mix up was also you?!"

Mike was screwed. So screwed! Harvey was practically breathing fire down on him, his face just inches from Mike's, and Mike couldn't even look him in the eye.

"I'd like to assert my fifth amendment right," he peeped, stealing a glance. And yeah, Harvey was in full Dom mode. And Mike would be happy about it (after all it was his goal for the whole week) if he didn't have his heart all the way up in his throat at the moment.

"Oh, I'll give you the fifth amendment!" Harvey snarled, taking hold of Mike's nape and bending him over his knee in one quick motion, as he sat down on the sofa.

Before Mike could say anything, his arms and legs were already in the lock, while Harvey's hard hand was setting his ass on fire.

"Harvey! No! Stop!" Mike protested loudly, going completely crimson, "What if somebody is still here?" Getting a smacking in the office might have been one of his favorite fantasies, but it didn't mean he was ready to face the humiliation of a public spanking.

Harvey didn't stop, if anything he upped the intensity of the swats, letting Mike feel the full extent of his displeasure. It was pretty unlikely that there was still anyone at work after midnight, they have been surrounded by dead silence for the past 3 hours and the lights were off on the whole floor.

"Then they will see how naughty puppies should be disciplined," the Dom retorted, not letting up.

"I'm not your puppy!"

Harvey stopped spanking him just long enough to loosen and take off his tie and then wrap it around Mike's head.

"Now you are," he said, as his hand resumed punishing the disobedient sub.

Once Mike saw Harvey's tie around his neck, he felt as if somebody finally untangled the heavy knot of his conflicted emotions and his chest filled with warmth. His lips stretched into a smile, despite the pain that Harvey continued raining down on his ass. Mike never understood why subs liked to be collared. Till now. If a month ago somebody told him, that he would feel happy and relieved at this gesture of ownership, he wouldn't have believed it.

Harvey noticed how Mike's body relaxed as soon as he said it, and he fought a smile of his own. He thought that once he'd get his hands on Mike, his obsession with the bratty sub will be over. Instead, the weekend only managed to reinforce his desire. Thinking about it, Harvey wasn't sure what took him so long. He kept persuading himself how he shouldn't get involved with his employee, how Mike was plenty handful to manage as it is, how keeping their relationship professional was for the best, and a bunch of other nonsense, that suddenly didn't seem important anymore.

"Stop grinning, you are being punished," Harvey chided halfheartedly. He couldn't really see Mike's expression, but he just knew that the sub was smiling. And as far as Harvey was concerned it was a direct offense to his disciplining abilities. Damn Ross and his iron-butt.

"Sorry, _Sir_," Mike enunciated the title cheekily and Harvey attacked his sit-spots with newfound vigor.

"You brat! I ever hear you say that word with anything but respect in mind and we are going to have a very different kind of conversation!" He threatened, though he already knew that Mike was going to do exactly that at the first given opportunity. And to be honest, Harvey would never 'collar' him, if he wasn't fine with it.

Mike winced at the pain and decided to save that one for another time.

Harvey chuckled and eased up on the strength of the smacks. He wasn't really angry with Mike and if the hardness pressing against his thigh was anything to go by, Mike was enjoying his punishment anyway. Might as well save his hand, since smacking a sub with high pain tolerance over his trousers could hardly constitute a proper discipline, and was probably more of a punishment for the Dom's hand.

"Good, we are finally getting somewhere," he remarked, rubbing Mike's butt with approval before resuming the spanking. "You must have been laughing your ass off the whole week thinking how you got away with this. Watching me suffer again and again," he scolded, though his tone was hinting on playful.

"Objection! Badgering!"

"Overruled."

"You can't overrule, you are not a judge!" Mike argued.

"Oh, I AM the judge. I'm the one smacking your naughty little butt here."

"That makes you the executioner."

There was a slight pause as Harvey realized that Mike was right. "Smartass."

"Just smart."

Harvey stopped spanking him and lifted him up. "No. Not smart. Antagonizing a hand that is already punishing you is not smart. Maybe brave, but definitely not smart," he remarked with a smirk as he reached out to Mike's crotch (that was sporting a raging hardon) and started unzipping his trousers.

Mike had a sinking feeling that he was not in for a blowjob but rather for some added humiliation. "No, no, no, wait, Harvey. Let's talk about this." He tried to pull away and escape further punishment, but the Dom held him firmly in place.

Harvey grabbed his tie and pulled the sub down to face him, while his other hand reached out to cup Mike's chin in a possessive dominant grip. "Oh no, pup, you are getting it on the bare now," he purred, his eyes flaring with excitement, "And then I'll take you home and paddle that sassbutt of yours till you can't sit properly. And after that, I'm gonna fuck you _raw,_ so that you can't_ walk_ properly either."

Mike thought he was gonna jizz in his pants right there just from that <strike>threat</strike> promise alone. But when Harvey pulled his pants and boxers down to proceed with a promised agenda, he still let out a scandalized "Harvey!" and some customary struggles… _because that's what brats do_.

.

.

.

That night the nightguard of Pearson-Specter probably wondered, why was Harvey Specter leaving the office at 1 AM looking like he just won a major case, while his associate was treading behind him with a flushed disheveled look and two ties dangling around his neck.

xxx

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Artwork by amazing TatianaOnegina @ [Deviant Art](https://www.deviantart.com/tatianaonegina) or LRRH [here on AO3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LRRH/)
> 
> [Piewdiepie reference - But can you do thiiiis](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1VvJhquVWU)


	10. When 'more' is not enough

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took longer than usual (I was on holidays, sightseeing in the US, searching for bagels from the show in New York^^), but I hope the longer chapter will make up for it.  
Also shout-out to naias, I liked what he/she called Mike in the previous chapter, so I decided to use it^^
> 
> Playing around with episode 1x5.

Harvey generally considered himself a mean spanker. He had an impressive collection of spanking implements at home ready to be used for both play and punishment (crops, floggers, straps, canes, paddles of different shapes and sizes, you name it, he’s got it). Even though he enjoyed exercising control more than inflicting pain, he had no trouble with the latter, unless it brought genuine distress to the sub, and even then he would squelch his own uneasiness if he believed that that was what the sub needed/deserved.

Mike’s ass was already a color of a ripe tomato and Harvey felt the drops of sweat condensing on his forehead, but the young man was still nowhere near ‘distressed’. Harvey let Mike pick the paddle himself and _ the little shit _ chose the biggest, meanest looking one and then proceeded to goad Harvey to ‘_give him his best’ _.

Apparently, he was not lying when he said that he could take a thrashing. Not only Mike’s cheeky attitude didn’t change in the slightest as the paddling progressed, but he also kept his arousal and was humping the bed provocatively with every swing. Harvey was painfully hard himself and was already longing for some relief. Perhaps it was time to move forward on the agenda and fill that bratty mouth with his cock to teach him some manners.

Harvey put down the paddle and rubbed the hot flesh with appreciation. Mike let out a guttural moan and Harvey was tempted to just take him right then and there. But after all the sass, he wanted to get some submission out of Mike first, since the paddling did little in that regard. Of course, Harvey _ could _ force a response if he really wanted to. But they were playing, there was no need to go overboard.

“Alright pup, go fetch a condom from the night table. The paddle doesn’t seem to make an impression on you, so perhaps a proper throatfuck will do better.”

Mike cast him a smug look that was communicating something along the lines of ‘I doubt it’, but there was an underlying hint of excitement as the sub obeyed without a word and handed Harvey the condom.

“Put it on me,” the Dom instructed. Mike reached for his trousers, but Harvey stilled his hands. “Kneel.” The younger man tilted his head to the side but was in no hurry to comply with the directive.

“That’s not my style,” Mike replied, lifting his chin defiantly.

_ You pushy brat _, Harvey thought with amusement. Anyone else would be meek as a lamb after that paddling, but not Mike. He rejoiced in giving Tops a hard time. Fully nude, with glowing ass, and a tie around his neck, and still refusing to submit. 

Harvey wasn’t surprised that Mike had little experience with subspace since not many Doms had interest nor stamina to constantly fight for obedience. Harvey liked to be obeyed, but he didn’t demand immediate compliance and had no problem with providing extra incentives.

“I didn’t ask about your style, pup. I told you to get on your knees,” he said, his smile not faltering, but his tone growing firmer.

But Mike was in full brat mode, “Why should I?”

“Because having my orders questioned is not _ my style. _Kneel,” Harvey didn’t raise his voice, nor use the ‘Dom command’, but his tone left no doubt that they’ve reached an ‘obey or else’ point.

Mike smirked and took a step forward, meeting Harvey’s hard gaze with a challenge. “Make me.”

_ ‘Else’ it is, then. _

“With pleasure,” Harvey replied not at all disappointed with Mike’s choice. He disappeared into the closet and came back holding a spreader bar with 2 sets of cuffs.

Mike looked confused. “That’s... not what I had in mind,” he said frowning when the bar was dropped on the bed, the cuffs clunking against each other.

“And what did you have in mind?” Harvey asked with a chuckle. Mike was obviously familiar with this type of bondage and if his blush was of any indication, he was not particularly eager to experience it... Which only fueled Harvey’s excitement, as he ruminated over all the deliciously helpless positions he could put the sub in.

“Well, you know, you just using the Dom voice to make me. I find it hot,” Mike purred flirtatiously, twisting Harvey’s tie around his finger. 

That was probably not a lie since Mike already admitted to liking subjugation. But the speed with which he changed gears from defiance to flattery, only confirmed that Mike was searching for a way out. And Harvey had no intention to let him.

“Good, cause I want you on the bed on your hands and knees, legs apart. Go on,” Harvey ordered, using his dynamic just like Mike wanted. Or rather, exactly like he didn’t want, but hey, he was not the one calling the shots, Harvey was.

Mike sent him a pleading glance as he climbed on the bed, but Harvey was not going to pass on the opportunity to put the sub in his place. “Spread them wider,” he instructed, cuffing Mike’s ankles to the edges of the bar. He pressed Mike’s upper body on the bed, leaving his ass high in the air. Then he pulled Mike's arms under his body between the legs and bound the wrists to the center of the bar. 

Mike let out a dissatisfied groan. The position was as uncomfortable as it was humiliating and it won’t take long before his muscles start to whine in protest.

_ Now there’s a perfect little package - so helpless and vulnerable. _“How are you feeling?” Harvey asked, admiring his handiwork. 

“Exposed,” the sub grumbled, his face flushed from embarrassment. Nudity was one thing, but being _ this _ much on display definitely stretched his comfort zone. His muscles strained against the bounds, and he struggled to make his position a bit more bearable… but to no avail. He could only hope Harvey didn’t intend to keep him this way for long.

Harvey chuckled tracing his fingers over the sub’s spread cheeks. “That’s accurate. You show as much as you possibly could.”

“You don’t say,” Mike snapped, but his snark was muffled with the bedsheets his face was pressing against.

“I see you still need some extra _ coddling _ to curb that attitude,” the Dom mused grabbing a thin riding crop. “All the better, since I’ll have an opportunity to pay some attention to those tender inner cheeks and that nicely exposed pucker.”

Mike tensed and Harvey guessed that the sub probably never experienced this type of more intimate impact play. He tapped the leather tip on Mike’s contrastingly white inner cheeks and the sub twitched his muscles in an instinctive attempt to clench his buttocks together.

Harvey flicked his wrist, bringing the crop smartly on its target. He made sure the impact was fairly light compared to what he would usually use since that area was way more sensitive than the meaty part of the bottom. Mike gasped and jerked himself.

“Mother fffff...” Mike didn’t finish that word, but the message was clear that he didn’t particularly enjoy that.

The next slap was aimed to the other side and while Mike managed to keep quiet, his body still flinched on impact. 

Harvey gave him a couple more, bringing a nice rosy blush to the previously pale areas, before tapping Mike’s hole in an indication of what’s to come.

“No Harvey, don’t!” Mike panted tensing. 

Harvey ignored the plea and snapped the crop down on the sub’s exposed backdoor.

“Yeeow!”

For the first time during the night Mike’s erection faltered. Harvey flicked his wrist and hit the same spot again. Mike pulled against the restraints and let out another pained grunt. He will definitely be sore tomorrow, and not just at the obvious places. The position was particularly straining on back and shoulder muscles and Mike’s struggles were only making it worse. Harvey made a mental note to run him a bath first thing in the morning.

He could tell that they were finally getting somewhere since Mike lost all the snark as soon as Harvey took the crop. He didn’t want the sub to stop enjoying himself, but if he had to ‘kill’ Mike’s erection to get him to submit, then that’s what he was going to do. After all, Mike held all the power in that regard.

The crop bit down on Mike’s bumhole for the third time and Harvey could see the exact moment when the sub gave in.

“Please!” Mike whimpered, “Please, no more.”

If Harvey was in a more sadistic mood, he would give the bratty sub a couple more, just for the lesson to sink in. But hearing such a sweet submissive entreaty made his dick swell in his pants. He put down the crop and brushed his fingers against the punished skin gently.

“Good boy,“ he cooed grabbing Mike’s cock which immediately sprung to attention at the praise and his touch. “You are so incredibly responsive, pup,” he muttered, his tone uncharacteristically thick with emotion as he kept stroking him till Mike was rock-hard and desperate.

“Are you ready to kneel?”

“Yes, Harvey,” came a meek reply. The change of tone from defiant to compliant was like music to the Dom’s ears. Harvey rolled a condom on himself and watched the perfectly positioned sub in indecision.

“As much as I’d love to test your lingual skills, I think we will have to leave it for another time since you are too fucking tempting right now.”

Mike mewled something incomprehensible and Harvey considered it consent. The sub was probably eager to get out of bondage but was already deep enough into subspace not to voice that. Harvey quickly lubed himself and then made the fastest sloppiest work of preparing Mike, who kept wiggling his butt (as much as the position allowed him), moaning with pleasure when Harvey hit his prostate. 

Mike could tell, that Harvey was barely holding himself, every second of delay spent on preparing Mike being literal torture. He couldn’t see Harvey’s expression but he imagined him having this hungry predatory look and he loved being the one to put it there.

“It’s gonna hurt,” Harvey warned him, pressing his cock against the tight entrance, “But I promise to be… not gentle.”

He was not all that surprised when instead of a protest he heard a “Thank you.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

The first thing that came to Mike’s mind, as he was pulled from the dream realm into awareness, was that everything hurt. And when I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING - arms, legs, back, shoulders, neck, wrists, ankles, butt (inside out), and a variety of muscles Mike didn’t even know he possessed. He let out a pained grunt and attempted to stretch, but his arms and shoulders screamed in protest.

_ Fuck! Kill me now... _

Mike has been achy before, but this reminded him more of a thorough workout session than a kinky pain play. But then again… it was totally worth it. He sighed with content at the memory of deliciously rough fuck that left him floating so high, he only vaguely remembered anything that happened after. 

There was some struggle with uncuffing Mike’s hands because the lock got stuck, then Harvey tried to have him do some stretching exercises but Mike must have fallen asleep because he didn’t remember doing any. Well, now he wished he stayed awake long enough to actually do those since his muscles were killing him now.

Mike turned around and was disappointed to see that he was alone in bed. He instinctively touched his neck and smiled when his fingers brushed against the silky smooth fabric of Harvey’s tie. Mike felt happy. The thought both surprised and scared him. 

The Dom just did everything right, no matter how much Mike pushed against him. And yesterday Mike was at his worst - uncooperative, bratty, defiant... and Harvey never once looked angry or annoyed, like other Doms did. 

Mike resigned on the whole idea of relationships long ago, since it seemed impossible for the Doms to tolerate him for long, much less enjoy the time spent in the company of the impossibly difficult sub. Harvey not only managed Mike’s brattitude with ease, he seemed to be enjoying the challenge, instead of being offended by it. 

But then again, maybe he just didn’t let it show? Harvey always played the man, so perhaps he put up a performance for Mike’s benefit, while in fact, he was looking forward for it to be over? The seed of doubt started festering in Mike’s mind and his chest tightened with apprehension. If Mike took a second to analyze the ridiculousness of such a notion, he would’ve undoubtedly come to the conclusion, that there was no reason for Harvey to fake it. But who ever listened to the voice of reason when faced with their own insecurities? 

Mike sighed. Nothing ever worked out. Even if it looked good, it never lasted. And Harvey… Harvey was too good to be true for somebody like Mike, anyway. 

Or was he? 

The Dom was notorious for avoiding commitment and never sticking to one sub. And being just one of the many didn’t feel like that big of a win. _ Dammit! _ Since when did Mike get so possessive? Since when did he care, who else the Doms scened with? 

_ Crap… _ It might have had something to do with those conflicted feelings Mike refused to admit to. He was NOT falling for Harvey Specter. Just no. It would be utterly stupid to do so! And Mike was many things, but stupid was not one of them. Even if Harvey somehow enjoyed their time together, he was still way out of Mike’s league. Plain and simple.

Mike got up and looked around for something to put on, and then decided to just go nude. Everything ached and he did walk wobbly, just as Harvey promised him, but he was still in a rather submissive mood to enjoy it and even feel proud about it. 

Mike found Harvey in the bathroom filling the bathtub. “Morning,” he greeted the Dom, stifling a yawn.

Harvey glanced up from the tub and his face brightened with an affectionate smile, “Good morning, pup, how are you feeling?” 

“Sore,” Mike admitted sheepishly.

Harvey chuckled, “I bet you are. That’s why I ran you a bath. Hop in, you will feel better.”

Mike eyed the bath which looked and smelled heavenly and was probably just what he needed right now. “That’s…” _ the nicest thing in the world! _“...very considerate of you.”

“Figured you needed some pampering after yesterday,” Harvey said taking off the tie from the sub’s neck and Mike’s breath caught with uneasiness. He quickly schooled his features, feeling stupid for this involuntary reaction and hoped Harvey didn’t notice.

“Unless you’d rather take a bath in a tie?” Harvey remarked, not even trying to conceal his amusement.

Mike shook his head, flushing in embarrassment. He didn’t trust himself to speak, feeling oddly emotional. It wasn’t really an unpleasant feeling, but it was new. He called it '_the payment for submission' _. You let go of the control, open up and bare yourself to the other person, trusting him to take care of you - you end up feeling raw and vulnerable after. Tip the scale a bit further and you get yourself a full-blown subdrop. Mike thought that he would never get there. But now he realized he wasn’t so far off after all.

Mike stepped into the bathtub and carefully lowered himself, exhaling with pleasure as the warm water engulfed his body. He closed his eyes, momentarily forgetting about anything and everything, till he felt somebody lifting his back.

“Make room, pup, I’m joining you,” Harvey said, settling behind Mike and positioning the sub to sit between his legs.

The bathtub was big enough to accommodate two grown men and Mike wondered how often Harvey used it for this purpose with other subs.

But the jealous thoughts were expertly ousted from Mike’s mind, when the Dom started kneading his shoulders, the sensations nothing short of orgasmic on Mike’s achy muscles.

“Oh God… too good,” the sub moaned blissfully, relaxing against Harvey’s chest.

Harvey chuckled in his hair, “Should I stop?”

“Don’t you dare.”

“Are you actually daring me?” Harvey asked, stopping for a second to get Mike’s attention, though knowing full well, that the sub meant no disrespect.

“No no no, I mean, please keep going. Pretty pretty please,” Mike hastily corrected himself and then exhaled with satisfaction, when Harvey resumed the massage.

Harvey thoroughly worked his shoulders and neck, and then moved onto his arms, all the while enjoying the almost animalistic noises of pleasure Mike kept emitting. Once he reduced the sub to the state of a limp noodle, he poured some shampoo on Mike’s head and then proceeded to scrub his scalp generating a new wave of groans and moans.

“This feels so nice, I lo-” there was a split moment hesitation, “absolutely love it.”

Harvey snorted, “Well you were such a good boy for me yesterday…” He let the words trail off, but instead of blushes and excitement, that the praise usually produced, Mike suddenly tensed.

“What is it?”

Mike didn’t reply willing himself to relax again. But Harvey didn’t let go, “Mike?”

“I can’t tell if you are being serious or sarcastic,” the sub admitted reluctantly.

Harvey frowned, “What makes you say that?”

The silence stretched and Harvey surmised that something was obviously bugging Mike.

“Because I wasn’t…” he blurted.

“Hmm?”

“I wasn’t a good b… I wasn’t good,” Mike amended the wording, unable to use the phrase in reference to himself, “I was defiant, sarcastic, recalcitrant... I kept pushing you.”

“And I pushed _ you _ ,” Harvey countered firmly. “Out of your comfort zone. And you took it and then _pleaded_ instead of safewording,” he placed a soft kiss on Mike’s shoulder, enveloping the sub in a tight hug, “You submitted and took everything I dished out. And that was all the more satisfying.”

“I...yeah well…” Mike struggled to find the words to convey his meaning without sounding offensive, “Don’t you _ want _to be obeyed?”

“I want _ you _ to want it, pup,” Harvey replied breathing against Mike’s ear and sending shivers down his spine, despite the heat of the water. “I told you already, there isn’t anything you could do, that I wouldn’t know how to deal with. Provided you are ready to face the consequences, of course.”

“So it’s fine to be a brat as long as I don’t safeword?”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Harvey said, mildly annoyed to have his words twisted. “But it wouldn’t make much sense to keep pushing, if you are just going to safeword out of the consequences, would it?”

Mike shook his head, “No, you are right. I’m sorry. I’ll… try to do better.”

“Mike, as far as I’m concerned, there is no such thing as '_better'_. If I didn’t enjoy your bratty company, you wouldn’t be here right now. I don’t want you to put yourself in a box just to fit in with some generic idea of how a sub should behave. Just be you, and trust me that I can handle it.”

_ Fuck… I am totally falling for Harvey Specter. I’m so screwed… _

Mike turned around and found Harvey’s mouth, kissing him with such urgency that he half expected Harvey to see right through him and call him out on those inapt feelings. But Harvey returned the kiss allowing Mike to keep the lead for a whopping 3 seconds, before taking over and exploring his mouth with passionate vigor. Mike submitted control instantly (much to Harvey’s satisfaction) and then proceeded to rock his hips against Harvey’s stiff member.

“I see you are already testing me,” the Dom commented, amused at Mike’s straightforwardness.

“Am I?” Mike quirked his lips teasingly.

“You must still be sore, pup.”

“I am. And that shouldn’t turn you on… but it does.”

Last time Mike attempted to top from the bottom this way, Harvey left him shackled to the bed for half an hour to teach him patience. But back then Mike demanded sex because he wanted to get his way, while right now he was actually trying to please his Dom offering himself up despite his sore state. And that was not only a very submissive thing to do but also incredibly endearing.

“Alright, you little cocktease,” Harvey purred, nibbling at his ear affectionately. “Let me just rinse that head of yours and then I’ll see if I can make you sore enough to get some ‘yessirs’ out of you.”

xxx

* * *

xxx

Over the course of the next weeks, Harvey got way more than just a couple of ‘yessirs’ out of Mike. No, Mike didn’t magically morph into a beautiful submissive butterfly, he remained every bit a spiky caterpillar he was before he met Harvey. But they did find a rhythm that worked for both of them.

During the day, Mike, _ the paralegal brat,_ was there to solve Harvey’s troubles by coming up with unorthodox solutions, process insane amount of paperwork in record time, impress everyone around him with his genius brain, and quote movies while being an adorable dork. They got into arguments on a daily basis, though most of them were work-related and not particularly serious. Harvey obviously had a final say, but more often than not Mike managed to sway his opinion.

Somewhere towards the end of the day, Harvey would switch their ties around, turning Mike into _Harvey’s brat. _ The Dom would either wear Mike’s tie himself or, more often, complain about the ‘skinny thing’ and stuff it in his pocket, and then proceed to boss Mike around in a very domineering way, counting all the instances of backtalk to make him pay once they got home. 

Mike had his ass whooped at least 2-3 times a week. Not because it worked, (obviously), but because he enjoyed pushing Harvey and Harvey didn’t mind providing some playful discipline to get the sub to cave. It worked because both of them operated within certain unspoken boundaries. Mike didn’t push to outright disrespect, and Harvey didn’t push outside of funishment.

Despite Mike’s brattitude, he was getting to subspace on a regular basis now. More often than not it was after some ‘ass to brain’ discussion, or powerplay with some heavy bondage, but on occasion, he would get ‘high’ from something so utterly domestic as lying his head on Harvey’s lap, while the Dom worked on his merger. Harvey would comment on his dilated pupils, Mike would stubbornly deny it, and Harvey would let it go. But in the next couple of days, Mike would get a present (a new tie, a bagel, an over-the-top blowjob, a pro-bono case etc) as if to encourage the Pavlov's reflex.

For the first time ever since the death of his parents, Mike felt like he was in a good place. He had a stable job (save for all the near sacking experience), a decent income and a Dom that was willing to put up with him. That was more than he ever had at the same time. The only thing that stained the picture of the perfect happiness was Mike’s fear of his growing attachment to Harvey. 

They kept their relationship fairly casual, admitting to enjoying the physical while shying away from anything emotional. Technically their arrangement wasn’t even exclusive. But with their working schedule, Mike was pretty sure that Harvey wasn’t seeing any other subs, even though they weren’t spending every night together.

Unlike Mike, who actually had to watch himself and carefully weigh everything he said in order not to blurt something that would give away his feelings, Harvey remained the same self-assured Dom, that oozed confidence in every situation and nothing seemed to throw him off his game.

It was especially disconcerting when Mike was about to fall apart ready to profess his undying love after some particularly hard play and Harvey would pet his head and get back to work as if they just watched a movie. Don’t get me wrong, he still did all the necessary aftercare and showered Mike with attention, praise, and cuddles. It just didn’t seem to affect the Dom the way it was affecting Mike.

And there was nothing Mike could really do about it. He already got “the more” that he wanted, and asking for _"morer" _would only take away what they had right now. So Mike decided to just sit tight and enjoy the ride while it lasted.

The idyll didn’t last long. Just as Harvey was finalizing the contracts for the merger he had been working on for the past couple of months between his client - Whitmore corp and Birnham & Gordon, Tanner decided to invite himself to the party, becoming the legal counsel of the opposing party and swaying them away from the deal.

So much work was put into this merger... Even though Mike wasn’t working on it, he was still in the loop, knowing how much the billables would raise for Pearson-Specter. And having the plug pulled one minute to midnight frustrated Harvey to no end. And the worst thing was, it wasn’t just some trick Tanner pulled out of his sleeve. No, he offered Birnham a better deal. Fair and square. And Harvey knew it. Damn, if it was him, he would go for Tanner's alternative himself. The other company was simply a better match for the merger. 

The partners at Pearson-Specter didn’t take kindly to Harvey 'tanking' the deal. Mike wasn’t invited to the table, but it was clear that his position at the firm took a toll. Everyone knew that if he wasn’t the one finalizing the merger, Tanner would never target the deal, to begin with.

Harvey became prickly and snappy again and Mike tried hard to cut him some slack, and not react. Harvey might put up with insubordination and brattitude on normal days, but when he was in a really shitty mood, it was better to stay out of his sight. 

It didn’t help things when Mike’s phone suddenly started ringing in the middle of the client’s meeting. Harvey cast him an annoyed look and Mike struggled to turn off his sound, but when he saw the number, he excused himself and exited the room to pick it up.

As it turned out, Trevor got himself in another jam and ended up in a cell. Having no-one else to call for the bail, he tried to patch up things with Mike. And Mike might still have been smarting from their fight, but he wasn’t one to leave his friend in need. So he left work and went over to get Trevor out of prison.

They shared lunch and talked it over. By the time Mike returned to the office, his mood improved considerably, knowing that he had his friend back. He didn’t have many people in his life, Grammy and Trevor being the only two that stayed by his side since childhood.

“Where the hell have you been?” Harvey greeted him at his cubicle.

“I…” Mike struggled to find a believable lie.

“If the next words out of your mouth are not the truth, we are gonna put up a show right here in the bullpen,” Harvey threatened through gritted teeth and Mike flushed hoping no-one was close enough to hear it.

“Trevor got in jail, I went to bail him out,” Mike explained, making sure to keep his voice down. 

Harvey shook his head in disapproval, “Mike, you need to cut him loose. If you wanna be a lawyer, you can’t be hanging around drug dealers.”

“Harvey, Trevor is a friend. My ONLY friend, okay?” 

“You have rather shitty taste in friends then,” Harvey snapped irritably.

Mike has had it with that prickly attitude, “Well, my friends are actually none of your business.”

Harvey pinned him down with a glare, that normally sent butterflies to Mike’s stomach, but right now only managed to annoy him. 

“Perhaps. But if you ever leave in the middle of the day without a word again, you might as well not bother coming back,” he hissed, turning on his heel and leaving, his cutting tone a deterrent against any smartmouth comebacks.

Safe to say, there was no tie switching that day.

xxx

* * *

xxx

But the troubles didn’t end there. Mike has spotted _the two_ right away. They were wearing suits blending in with the crowd of the office, but they still stood out. Stood out to Mike because they were clearly looking for him, and once they spotted him, Mike knew without a doubt - it was the drugs.

He managed to lose them, bolting the office and using the police officers standing nearby to discourage the thugs from further pursuit. He ripped his new suit jacket in the process and groaned because he had no time to change before going to a client with Harvey.

Shit just got real. Mike contemplated telling Harvey, but the Dom made it very clear that he didn’t want to hear about the drug issue ever again. Mike remembered all too well just how "pleased" Harvey was to get his firm potentially involved in drug drama when Mike left the weed in his cubicle. Given how on edge Harvey had been lately, it was probably better to keep him out of this. Therefore Mike decided to call Trevor to get some goddamn answers, but only managed to reach voicemail, leaving him a couple of angry messages. 

Harvey was still quite reserved around Mike after their fight the previous day, but he immediately spotted the ripped jacket.

“What’s that?”

“It’s nothing,” Mike waved his hand dismissively, marching forward and hoping Harvey would let it go.

“It’s not nothing, it’s a two thousand dollar suit,” Harvey countered.

Mike rolled his eyes in exasperation, “Well then you shouldn’t have bought me a two thousand dollar suit! I might as well just give them all back if you are going to chew me for every little accident!”

“Hey, what’s going on?” Harvey asked catching his hand.

“Nothing is going on!”

“Is this still about yesterday?”

_ No. But I don’t know if I want to tell you. _ Mike kept quiet, opting to let Harvey jump to conclusions, rather than blatantly lie to his face.

“Mike, you know I can’t have you running off in the middle of the day. You didn’t really expect to get away scot-free, did you?”

“And you never giving me the tie was your way of punishing me?”

“Of course not. But you weren’t exactly jumping with joy at the prospect either. I thought, you needed a night to stew,” Harvey offered, but at Mike’s skeptical look he relented, “Alright, I needed a night to stew as well. Look I know I have been kind of a dick lately…” he pulled Mike closer, cupping his chin with the other hand, “I’m sorry okay? I’ll buy you a new suit.”

Mike felt guilty. It wasn’t the first time he lied to Harvey, but it was the first time since becoming _his_. And now he even guilt-tripped the Dom into apologizing, which admittedly didn’t happen very often. Not to mention, that Mike was equally to blame for their fight because he _ did _leave without telling and then snapped at Harvey that his friends were none of his business. Not something one should say to his partner, much less to his Dom. But as far as Mike was concerned it was still a lesser evil than to get Harvey entangled with drug mafia.

“I can actually afford one myself now,“ Mike replied, quelling his guilty feeling and allowing himself a small smile.

“But then you wouldn’t owe me one,” Harvey cooed flirtatiously.

Mike chuckled, “Huh, and I assume, you are intending to collect?”

“You bet your ass. I’m taking a retainer tonight,” he promised, pulling Mike in for a kiss.

***

Mike’s phone rang in the middle of the meeting, and seeing that Trevor was finally calling him back, Mike excused himself and went to pick it up outside.

“Damn it, Trevor, I left you like five messages!”

But it was not Trevor on the other side of the line. “Good to know your boy's flaky with everyone. I was taking it personal.”

Mike’s breath caught with dread, “What do you want?”

“Well, Trevor owes us 50 000 dollars, he never paid, so you’re going to bail him out.”

“Listen, I don’t have that kind of money. I can’t…”

“We thought, you might need additional motivation, so we grabbed somebody else on our way too.” Mike’s phone beeped with a new incoming message, and his blood turned cold as he stared at the picture. “You have an hour.”

The wave of nausea overtook him and he bent over throwing up the contents of his lunch on the sidewalk. Harvey emerged from the door just in time to witness it.

“Mike, are you ok?” the Dom rushed towards him, his brows furrowed with concern.

Mike shook his head wiping the mouth with his sleeve, “I’m fine. I need to go,” he quavered, walking past Harvey.

The Dom caught his arm in a grip none-too gentle. “What’s going on, Michael?” The question was laced with so much dominance, Mike couldn’t even contemplate lying. He handed Harvey the phone, his hand trembling as he did so.

“They've got Grams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC


	11. Pull at the heartstrings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I updated the rating to Explicit. Dunno, why I didn't sooner.  
Also, you might have noticed, that I added a finite number of chapters since we are slowly reaching the end. I think there should be 3 more and perhaps an epilogue... unless more plot bunnies plague my mind.  
Anyway, hope you guys will stick with me till the end and enjoy it^^ (I'm kinda hyped since it's the first fic I'm going to finish)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still playing around with 1x5.  
More discipline (kinda) incoming.

_The Dom caught his arm in a grip none-too gentle. "What's going on, Michael?" The question was laced with so much dominance, Mike couldn't even contemplate lying. He handed Harvey the phone, his hand trembling as he did so._

_"They've got Grams."_

***

Harvey looked at the picture of Edith Ross peacefully sleeping in the wheelchair. But Mike's reaction suggested that something very wrong was happening.

"Who?"

"I don't know… Trevor is there, must be the drug dealers, they were after me, and I called him … and now he called back but it wasn't him…and I..." Mike felt like he was running out of air as he blabbered incoherently.

Harvey put both hands on Mike's shoulders and applied pressure, effectively grounding him. "Breathe," he ordered firmly, his voice bolstered with dominance.

Mike's dynamic kicked in and he took a couple of deep breaths, willing himself to calm down and still the tremble in his hands.

"There were two guys looking for me in the office today," he admitted, a pang of guilt adding misery to his already nauseous state, "I managed to lose them, but apparently they decided it would be easier to just get my grandma than to hunt me around."

"What do they want from you?" Harvey queried, his face a professional mask of seriousness. Mike instinctively searched for any hint of anger, but Harvey's expression didn't give anything away.

"Money. They called from Trevor's phone. He owes them 50 grand and they want me to pay it. They… they g-gave me an hour," Mike stuttered, the panic coming through. He didn't have such money, nor the time to figure something out. Harvey was his only hope.

The Dom took out his phone and dialed.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling police."

Mike felt like throwing up again. "No Harvey, you can't do that!" he protested loudly, grabbing Harvey's arm.

"Mike…"

"NO! What if they hurt her?!" he yelled snatching the phone from Harvey's hands and ending the call.

"Over 50 thousand?" Harvey tilted his head, his face skeptical.

Mike rolled his eyes in exasperation. "For fuck's sake, Harvey! Come down to Earth! Fifty thousand is more than what the majority would see in a year! People were killed for way less. And these are drug dealers!"

"So what do you wanna do?"

"Give them the fucking money! What else can I do?! She is the only family I've got, I'm not going to risk her safety any further!"

"Mike," Harvey compelled his voice into a soothing baritone, "Giving them the money would only…"

"Don't you dare give me another lecture about a hundred and forty-six things you do when staring down the barrel of a gun," Mike cut him off sharply. "You have no fucking clue what it actually feels like!"

Harvey might have taken offense at being spoken to in such manner if Mike wasn't completely freaking out right now. Harvey didn't have much experience with such situations, but right now the sub seemed to be responding better to strength than to mollycoddling, so he crossed his arms and pinned him down with a glare eliciting a nervous gulp from his target.

"Fine. I doubt you are going to magically pull 50k out of your sleeve, so I'll give you the money. But we are doing it _my way_ and you are going to do _exactly_ what I say. Non-negotiable."

Mike felt a thrill that he always got when Harvey used his dynamic. Not that the Dom needed to do it now since Mike didn't have many options really. He nodded and followed Harvey into the car.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Sitting in the car while Harvey went to deal with the thugs alone, was the worst feeling in the world! Mike almost chewed all his fingernails off, several times drawing blood from the tender skin around them. The pain helped to keep his focus on something else because every second of _not knowing_ was pure torture.

Mike nearly went into a full-blown temper tantrum, when Harvey told him to stay in the car. If the Dom didn't use his dynamic, Mike would likely ignore the order altogether. Harvey remained awfully firm the whole time, and as much as it annoyed Mike, he couldn't help feeling relief as soon as Harvey took charge of the situation.

They went to the office to find the footage from security cameras of Pearson-Specter and get 50k in cash, meanwhile Donna called the private care facility to make sure Edith was in fact missing, and unfortunately, she really was.

Mike was left in the car with instructions to call the cops if Harvey doesn't come back within 20 minutes. And those were definitely the longest 20 minutes of his life. He knew that Harvey was likely to try and pull some trick, he just hoped, it won't backfire.

It occurred to him, that 3 closest people he had in his life were all together in danger right now, while he was sitting in the car being useless. He wanted to do something! He _needed_ to do something, or he will lose his mind! He grabbed the door handle in indecision and sat like this for another minute, before finally making up his mind and pulling it.

Except the door was locked.

_I'm gonna fucking kill Harvey!_

Thankfully, that's when Harvey emerged from the warehouse, closely followed by Trevor pushing a wheelchair with Edith. Mike pulled at the door handle again and glared when it refused to open. In the next second, there was a clicking sound of the car being unlocked.

"Oh God, is she ok?" Mike rushed towards them, frantically grabbing his grandma's hand.

"They sedated her, she is sleeping," Trevor answered, looking uncomfortable and guilty. He cast a nervous glance in Harvey's direction but the Dom ignored it, focusing on Mike instead.

"Are _you _ok?" he asked, eyeing Mike's bloodied fingers.

The sub blushed and hid his hands in the pockets, "Yeah, 'm fine."

"Thank you for staying in the car," Harvey said, his features softening. He kept a polite distance from Mike, conscious of Trevor's company and sensing that Mike might not necessarily want to disclose their relationship.

"You locked me," Mike retorted frowning.

"I did?" Harvey faked surprise, which earned him another glare. "Anyway, I have a meeting in half an hour. Take the rest of the day off."

For a moment Mike thought that Harvey was going to pat his back, or maybe squeeze his shoulder for comfort, and felt a stab of disappointment when the Dom just got in the car and drove away.

Mike quickly schooled his features to hide the unfathomable hurt and called a cab for them.

"So… this is Harvey, huh?" Trevor remarked, keeping his tone casual.

"Yeah."

"Your…?" It was quite obvious what was Trevor hinting at.

"My boss," Mike replied firmly.

Trevor nodded and stared down at his shoes for a few seconds, "Just your boss?"

Mike looked up, surprised at Trevor's uncharacteristic perceptiveness. His friend wasn't dumb or anything, but he wasn't particularly insightful when it came to relationships. "No," he said, lifting his chin, practically daring Trevor to voice his disapproval.

But the Switch only nodded again, getting deep in thought. Mike couldn't tell what was going through Trevor's head and he was surprised to realize that he actually didn't care what Trevor thought of Harvey.

"So… is it serious?"

Mike raised an eyebrow. Not the question he had expected. Not to mention, the one, he himself didn't really know the answer to.

He shrugged admitting as much, "I don't know."

"Well, I'd say he is serious about you," Trevor noted and watching Mike's confused look, he added, "Pretty sure that white-collar never had to face a gun before."

"Oh my God, they pulled a gun at him?!" Mike exclaimed, "What happened there?!" He knew who they were dealing with, so guns should've come as no surprise, but it still shocked him how much danger his loved ones were in. No wonder Harvey kept his distance, he probably resented Mike a fuckton right now.

Trevor pulled a face, "I'm not even sure. Your guy marched in, as if he owned the place and acted all mighty and superior, so they tried to put him in his place. But somehow ended up hiring him instead."

Mike fought a completely inappropriate smile. "Yeah, that's Harvey in a nutshell," he chuckled, losing that battle.

Trevor snorted, "Got me a job too."

"What?"

"He did. In _Montana_…" he gave Mike a look that said it all, "He didn't even deny it when I asked if he was trying to get rid of me," he added somewhat bitterly.

Mike frowned. _He had no right! _But then the rationale kicked in. _No right to give Trevor a chance to get away from this and start anew? Indeed 'how dare he'. _Mike immediately felt guilty for his own selfish thoughts.

"I'd say he is really into you, mate."

"I reflect on him."

"That might be the reason to get rid of me, but if he didn't care about you, he wouldn't bother getting me a job."

Mike's chest filled with warmth. The fact that Harvey cared, Mike already knew. Even though the Dom kept claiming how he only cared about himself, his actions spoke for themselves. He just put himself in a lot of danger... for Mike! But was Mike really worth all the trouble? He was a good fuck... but surely no fuck was good enough to outweigh today's experience.

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike contemplated whether he should come over to Harvey's. The Dom gave him the rest of the day off to spend with his grandma, but she went to sleep fairly soon since she was still groggy from the sedatives, and Mike didn't feel like going back to his place and spending the evening alone. He was emotionally exhausted, and he just longed for his Dom's tight embrace and reassurance. The problem was, he wasn't so sure Harvey would be up for those. Nevertheless, not knowing how Harvey felt, was even worse.

Mike didn't have the keys to Harvey's condo. Harvey didn't even offer him a toothbrush, much less a shelf to maybe keep some of his stuff there, which supported the mutual understanding, that their relationship was purely physical. No matter how much time Mike spent at Harvey's, he was always treated as a guest.

_Well, now is probably not the best time to mope over that._ Mike knocked on the door and held his breath.

"Mike," Harvey greeted him, a slight surprise on his face, "Didn't expect you here tonight." 

_Please don't leave me, _was the only thing going through Mike's head, though he had enough sense not to say it out loud. Harvey didn't appear displeased or angry, he looked tired if anything and his breath smelled of alcohol. Mike's first impulse was to hug him tight, bury his face into the Dom's shirt, and fall apart... but the fear of rejection kept him at bay.

"Yeah, Grams went to sleep, and I didn't want to be alone tonight."

Harvey moved, allowing the sub to come inside. "How is she?"

"She woke up already in her bed. She didn't even know she was gone, and of course, I didn't tell her. So I guess all is good." Mike's tone left an impression he didn't actually believe it.

Harvey went to the liquor cabinet and nodded at the drink on the table, "Scotch?" he offered, showcasing a bottle that was probably more expensive than whatever Mike ever drank.

"Yes, please," Mike agreed with a sheepish smile, trying to read the Dom's mood. It's not like Harvey never indulged in alcohol, but there was always a reason behind it. _I guess having a gun pointed in your face is quite a reason,_ he thought, cringing slightly.

"I spoke to Trevor. He is leaving for Montana on Monday."

Mike waited for some sort of reaction, but Harvey just kept sipping on his glass, not really looking at him.

"I wanted to… uhm, thank you," he said, the words getting stuck in his throat, "For the money, for getting them out, for Trevor… I don't know what I'd do without you," he admitted, running a hand through his hair nervously.

"You're welcome, Mike."

Harvey's tone was thick, perhaps even affectionate and Mike didn't waste another minute, scuttling over to the Dom and resting his head against Harvey's shoulder, snuggling in for as much as he dared. Harvey landed a soft kiss on his head and Mike felt like he was gonna burst from all the feelings trapped inside him.

They kept sitting like this in silence, the only sound being the occasional clink of the ice cubes inside their drinks. Harvey was calm, but he wasn't relaxed. Not really. More like brooding. Mike tried to guess what was going through his head but didn't dare to actually ask, too afraid to find out that they are done.

"You should go to bed, pup," Harvey remarked when Mike let out a loud yawn. Two blue eyes stared back at him with raw emotion and need.

"I'm sorry."

Harvey shook his head, "We will talk about it tomorrow."

"No." There was no hint of defiance, he just needed Harvey to understand that this was not his intention. He would never purposely put the Dom in danger. "I'm sorry. I never meant to get you involved. I tried to keep you out of this…"

"_Exactly_. Why would you _lie_ to me about something like this!" Harvey's voice, while still calm and reserved, was laced with a mix of anger and hurt. It took Mike by surprise, because out of everything that happened, this was merely a small necessary evil, and yet Harvey decided to focus on it.

"I had to. You practically _told _me to! You said 'you will not hear about this issue again', and I tried to do just that," Mike countered defensively. The guilt that has been squeezing his chest all day, resurfaced even stronger than before.

"Are you kidding me?" Harvey snapped, finally losing his calm composure. "How can you twist my words like that?!"

"I'm not twisting anything, that's _literally_ what you said!" Mike retorted, "Eidetic memory!" he added pointing at his head.

Harvey stood up in exasperation and walked over to the liquor cabinet to pour himself more whiskey and calm the building irritation. "Just go to bed, we are not having this argument now," he told the sub without facing him.

"No!" Mike was dangerously close to throwing a fit. He has been on edge all day, what with some goons coming to the office, Trevor not picking up the phone, Grammy being kidnapped, him being forced to sit in the car and wait and now Harvey being mad at him on top of all that. "You don't get to be mad at me for this!" he spat, the ever-present guilt only fueling his indignation.

Harvey turned, his expression dangerously pissed, "I _said, _go," he hissed, pointing at the guest-room, his order fortified with strong dominant command.

Mike folded his hands on the chest, resisting the primal instinct to obey. "No!" he shot back defiantly, already hating himself for acting so horrible and yet unable to stop.

"One."

"Fuck you!" Mike's eyes were glassy with tears and Harvey quickly regretted his decision to count, because it obviously was not going to work the way he wanted to, but it _will_ force his hand in the end.

"Two."

Mike just lifted his chin, not moving from where he was standing. Harvey already knew, he will be pushed all the way, but he still hoped that Mike will lose his nerve and go. He really didn't want to do this right now. But it was clear the sub needed it.

Harvey waited a couple of seconds, just in case, but was not surprised when Mike didn't cave. "Three," he concluded, his face betraying his disappointment, as he made his way towards the unruly sub.

Mike took a step back and raised his hand in a meek attempt to fight him, but Harvey just grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him over to the sofa.

"Noo, don't!" Mike's voice cracked at the protest, when Harvey threw him over his lap, quickly subjugating his arms and legs. The dam broke before the first smack even landed on his backside. All the stress, tension, and misery giving way to heartbreaking sobs, that Mike couldn't seem to stop.

This was the worst! Harvey must have been already pondering whether he should break things off, and now Mike sealed his fate by being horrible and pushing him. And to add insult to injury, he was crying. And not just shedding beautiful poetic tears like they did in romcoms, where they made you feel for the character without it taking a toll on his attractiveness. No, this was puffy eyes, red nose, tears and snot and loud sobs - none of it particularly sexy on a grown man.

Harvey steeled his heart against the pitiful wailing sounds. He wasn't one to shy away from responsibility just because the sub was in distress. He knew how to turn a deaf ear and keep going when the discipline was needed or deserved. In Mike's case, it was both. The brat absolutely deserved to be punished for all the lying and deception. Especially about something that serious! He also clearly needed some kind of catharsis for stress relief after the nerve-racking events of the day. So Harvey ignored all the anguished cries and apologies and focused on delivering a firm spanking…

… for about 15 seconds before he gave up, unable to take it any longer.

Remember how I said that Harvey was a mean spanker? Well, scratch that, he just officially deranked to a complete and utter marshmallow.

Even by Harvey's standards that was a pretty pathetic punishment. By Mike's 'ironbutt standards' it was somewhere on the level of a couple of love-taps. (Thankfully,) Mike seemed to be so preoccupied with sobbing his heart out, he didn't even realize that Harvey hardly delivered any sting before righting him back up to sit on his lap and hugging him tightly.

"It's alright, pup, I got you," he cooed, petting his head and kissing the tears away.

Harvey proceeded to cuddle the sniveling sub, whispering soft reassurances in hopes to ease the throbbing in his own chest and after a minute or so Mike attempted to get a grip, wiping at his eyes. "I'm sorry. I just c-can't stand you being mad at me," he wailed as the new batch of tears spilled, effectively halting his efforts at calming down.

"Shh pup, I'm not mad."

And Harvey realized that he really wasn't. All his irritation vanished when Mike started crying and from there on the only feeling he had was the overwhelming need to make it alright.

"Promise?" Under normal circumstances, Mike would be mortified to act like a needy 5-year-old. But since he already kinda crossed that bridge with all the wailing, he didn't really care anymore.

Harvey smiled fondly at the childish question and kissed him on the temple. "Promise."

Mike then finally calmed, though he was in no hurry to leave the warmth and safety of his Dom's lap. It was so unlike him. He never sat on Harvey this way. Sure he straddled him plenty for make-out sessions, but never this way - like a kid / a girl / a submissive. It just always felt cringy and uncomfortable, and he was simply too tall for it to feel befitting. And now resting his head on Harvey's broad chest, it felt like the most natural thing in the world.

"Are you still going to punish me?"

Harvey contemplated saying that this _was_ a punishment, but he had a feeling, it won't fly. "Uhm…" he struggled to come up with a suitable excuse not to.

"Please don't," Mike muttered, raising the glassy eyes to meet Harvey's and melting any potential remnants of indecision.

Harvey sighed (with relief, though Mike didn't know that). "Alright, tell you what. You are still getting a trip to the spanking bench, but for play, not punishment. How does that sound?"

The smile that brightened Mike's face felt more rewarding than it should have been.

"But Mike, you absolutely can't lie to me about stuff like this. Drug dealers hunting you at the office... Do you honestly trust me so little to keep it from me? I should have been _the first one_ to know you are in trouble. Both as your boss AND your Dom!"

Mike's eyes turned glassy again and new tears spilled on his cheeks, tugging at Harvey's heartstrings. "I'm sorry," Mike whimpered, adopting a look of a kicked puppy.

_Great. I can't spank him, and now I can't even scold him. Five-star topping right there, Specter! _He quickly wiped Mike's cheeks with his thumb resisting the urge to take back everything he said. _If he is trying to manipulate me, then it's fucking working!_ But of course, Harvey knew that Mike would never purposely cry. It was so out of character for the proud sub and will probably embarrass the hell out of him too, once he got out of subspace.

"Let's get you to bed, pup."

Mike nodded, getting off Harvey's lap somewhat reluctantly. He was pleasantly surprised when Harvey led him to his own bedroom instead of the guest one and then climbed into the bed with him.

"Now, how about we make you feel good?" the Dom suggested, reaching out for Mike's fly.

Mike was never one to turn down a blowjob, but right now he was in a particularly _giving_ mood.

"How about the other way around?" he offered, unbuckling Harvey's belt.

"Mike..."

"I want to. Please."

That effectively silenced any further protests from Harvey's side. By the time Mike overcame all the obstacles posed by trousers and underwear, Harvey was fully erect. Mike was ready to go down on him right away, but Harvey stopped him grabbing a condom from the night table.

"Damn, I really wanna taste you," the sub complained. He never suggested for them to get tested because that would mean exclusivity, and he would rather use condoms than to hear Harvey's rejection.

"Maybe next time," Harvey chuckled at the cute pout, as he rolled the condom on himself and then submitted control back to Mike, who wasted no time enveloping his lips around Harvey's shaft and putting his mouth to work.

For a while, he toyed around with the tip, just enough to get Harvey properly needy, before relaxing his throat and swallowing him down fully.

Harvey let out a sharp breath, "Do you even know how perfect you are?"

Mike's eyes shot up, searching for a hidden meaning behind those words. Although he was so emotionally starved right now, he would probably take a slap to the face for a love confession. The rationale winning over, he returned his attention to the twitching cock under him and resumed his ministrations.

His efforts were cut short when Harvey decided he absolutely needed to be inside him. What ensued was the slowest sensual lazy fuck, which, with all the kissing and fondling, suspiciously resembled love-making. Mike wasn't particularly into this type of sex. He was all about being pinned down and taken hard, the rough treatment being an inherent part of his preference. But right now, he enjoyed the hell out of all the affection the Dom was giving and couldn't think of anything sexier than what they were doing at the moment.

Mike actually managed to come twice, marveling at Harvey's endurance when the Dom finally climaxed, emitting an almost painful love cry. Surprisingly, Harvey didn't hit the shower, like he usually did to satisfy the pedantic need to wash the sweat and cum off his body. He simply lay down, petting Mike's head absentmindedly appearing deep in thought.

"What you're thinking about?"

"Megan." When Mike frowned in confusion, he elaborated, "Tanner's submissive, or rather ex-submissive."

"So Donna told you."

Harvey raised an eyebrow, "I see she told YOU."

Mike grimaced feeling sheepish, "Sorry?"

"Nah, it's fine. I don't mind."

Mike decided to use the opportunity to pry some more. "Uhm… Donna said that she didn't tell you because it was too close to home for you," he noted casually, but when the Dom didn't respond he asked bluntly, "What did she mean?"

Harvey didn't answer. Mike waited patiently and just when he was about to change the topic, Harvey nodded, "Yeah, I had something similar happen to me when I was working at the DA's office."

"You worked for the DA?"

"Yeah, was pretty good at it too," Harvey remarked with his usual smirk prompting a grin out of Mike.

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Anyway, my boss, Cameron Dennis, had a pretty good record, just not as good as I did. I didn't lose even once. But… that's what I do, right? I win. And since I was putting bad people away, I didn't question it. We had a decent relationship with Cameron… till I started dating his daughter,"

"Wow, you baaad boy," Mike teased, "Let me guess, daddy didn't like it?"

"That's putting it mildly. But then again we weren't just dating, she was subbing for me. That's not something fathers take lightly."

"So what did he do?"

"Aparantelly my flawless run wasn't just because I was that good of a prosecutor, Cameron 'helped'," Harvey grimaced at the memory, "He has been tampering with evidence on many of my cases and he gave me an ultimatum to kill my career if I don't break up with her."

"And you did?"

"Look, if it was now, I would just tell him to go fuck himself, call Sean Cahill and bury that motherfucker."

"Who's Sean Cahill?"

"A prosecutor from the S.E.C. who owes me one."

"Gee, everybody owes you one," Mike remarked, and when Harvey cast him an annoyed look he pretended to zip his mouth, holding up palms, "Sorry."

"Anyway. He said that if I break up with her, he will give me the list of cases he 'helped' me with, including _how_." Harvey let out a frustrated sigh. "I picked career over her. But I didn't blame myself, I blamed Cameron. So, then I quit and went to Pearson - Hardman. I used my free time to go over each and every case, and most of them were rightful convictions. But there were a couple of those where I sent innocent people to prison."

Harvey's face betrayed pain and embarrassment, so uncharacteristic for the always self-assured Top. Harvey never opened up to Mike about anything, so having him talk about his past felt like an important shift in their relationship.

"I told Jessica and we made an agreement, that as long as I kept winning, I could use the company time and resources to right some wrongs too."

"And did you?" Mike knew the answer even before he asked, but he wanted Harvey to flaunt his feathers some more.

"I got out each and every one of them," Harvey confirmed smugly.

"So why didn't you 'bury' Cameron later?"

"Who says I didn't?"

"I say, you didn't. Because you would've started with that." _'You cocky prick' _was left unsaid, though Harvey heard it anyway.

The Dom chuckled, "You are right, I didn't. Because when you are a corporate lawyer who likes winning, it's good to be the one sitting in the catbird seat over the District Attorney."

"Once a bad boy, always a bad boy, huh?"

"I guess," Harvey agreed, though his smile turned somewhat sad and Mike felt the need to reassure him.

"Harvey, you realize that your situation was actually quite different, right? Tanner brought it on himself, while you were deceived by your boss."

"I know… That's why I was surprised Donna kept it from me. I mean I hated Cameron for putting me in this position, but I actually don't relate to Travis at all. The fact is, even knowing what I do now, I'd probably still have used her against him."

Mike's eyes flashed with an idea. "Then why don't we?"

"What do you mean, that's been like 6 years ago."

"But she knows what Tanner did, and she was wrongfully terminated."

"If she didn't give him up back then, why would she do it now? Besides, I kinda have a restraining order… don't ask."

Mike didn't, but his amused look was full of mirth. "Well, I don't."

"Mike you are not a lawyer."

"Tanner doesn't know that."

Harvey got intrigued, eyeing Mike curiously, "You still haven't told me, how are you gonna make Megan go against him."

"I'm not going to, I'll just put together a believable lawsuit," the sub replied with a smirk.

"Mike, that's forgery AND fraud."

Mike's smile didn't falter. "Only if we file it."

Harvey finally understood, where Mike was going with it. "You wanna bluff him to back off the merger."

"Ten points for Gryffindor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC


	12. Down and out

Mike had a couple of ideas on how to approach Megan and spent an extra 30 minutes thinking it through while still in bed. He settled on pretending to be an outside counsel for Smith & Devane and just tying up loose ends. He had a pretty comprehensive plan within 5 minutes, and the rest of the time was spent stalling.

He heard the coffeemaker and the sound of the stove as Harvey cooked breakfast, but he really, _really_ didn't want to get out of the room. The embarrassment of the previous day hit him like a truck as soon as he woke up. Mike cringed and groaned and just wanted the bedsheets to _consume_ him on the spot so that he didn't have to get up and face the day, _face Harvey_... All the crying and sobbing and clinging and just arrgh! Even though he technically had a legit reason to fall apart the way he did after the stressful events of the day, it didn't make the discomfiture over it any easier.

After some thinking, Mike decided to just 'run for it'. His shirt was mangled and decidedly not fresh, but it was still early enough to stop by at home to change and then go visit Megan. Harvey will understand if he came in late today. Mike quickly dressed, opened the door and … bolted.

"I, erm Megan, I'll be late today. See ya," he stuttered as he ran through the living room avoiding eye contact with Harvey and disappearing into the hallway.

"Whoa, hold your horses, champ," the Dom called. Even though there was no dominance in his voice that would force Mike to come back, he still stopped with his hand on the door handle. Grimacing, but not wanting to act like a complete prat, he reluctantly made his way back to the kitchen.

Seeing how flushed and highly uncomfortable Mike appeared, Harvey couldn't help smiling. He crooked his finger at the sub and pointed at the chair. "Come eat first."

"Not hungry," Mike told the floor, ready to disappear again.

"Come on, have at least coffee," Harvey said and when Mike remained rooted to the spot, he added, "_I just can't stand_ you leaving without breakfast," replicating one particular phrase Mike used last evening.

"Did you just…?" Mike trailed off, watching the vicious smirk on the Dom's face, and blushed crimson. He felt both mortified and relieved. Mortified, that Harvey would even bring it up and relieved that he was apparently fine with the whole thing if he was teasing Mike so casually about it.

Mike dropped into one of the chairs sullenly, staring at the table and trying to get over his discomfort. "Fine, I'll eat."

"Promise?"

If looks could kill, Harvey would be _oh so dead_. "I'm going to punch you!"

Harvey laughed, standing up he walked over to the sulky sub and placed a fatherly kiss to his forehead. "I would apologize... but I'm not sorry. You are too easy." With that, he placed a plate of pancakes in front of Mike.

Mike stared at the deliciously smelling pastry with nothing short of astonishment, "Wow."

Harvey rolled his eyes as he put blueberry jam and maple syrup on the table. "You act as if I never cooked breakfast."

"You do. You always try to poison me with vegetables and quinoa and some other unpronounceable healthy shit."

"Take the drama down a notch, Juliet. We had waffles before," Harvey countered.

"Yeah from some protein powder and oats and goji berries. It was awful!"

"You said you liked it!"

_Busted. _"Uhm… I guess it was better than the other stuff…" Mike offered unconvincingly.

"Was it?"

"No."

Mike then stuffed his mouth with pancakes to avoid further confrontation about Harvey's cooking skills. Or rather his proclivity for mixing up different (supposedly healthy) ingredients and ruining perfectly fine dishes. However, these pancakes seemed to survive Harvey's cravings and they were perfect!

"Hmmm," Mike hummed in appreciation, adding more maple syrup to the already drowning drop scones. _Perhaps I should cry more often._

Harvey just shook his head, though he looked amused if anything. "What's your plan with Megan?"

"Outside counsel," Mike replied wolfing down the pancakes. Despite his earlier claims, he was actually rather hungry. "Gentle Dom, who dislikes Tanner, but wants to make sure he is protected."

"Why Dom?" Harvey asked, raising an eyebrow. Even though Mike kept his vanilla act at the office, Harvey thought that the sub started to get more comfortable with his dynamic. Perhaps not enough to openly defer to Dominants, but enough not to vehemently conceal it in everyday's life anymore.

"She has been involved with Tanner. If there is hurt, there still might be feelings, and I don't want her to feel threatened by another submissive close to her ex," Mike explained. "And I want her to open up to me, so being nice and not dragging her into deposition is my main selling point."

Harvey nodded, "That could work. But are you sure, you can pull it off?"

"Louis still thinks I'm a Dom," Mike replied grinning.

Harvey chuckled, "Louis is… well, Louis. But Megan worked for Tanner, she is sharp."

Mike wanted to point out that Louis worked for Jessica, but he knew that that was not what Harvey meant. And he was right. There was no guarantee she will tell Mike anything. Same as there was no guarantee Tanner will fall for it (although, given his hatred for Harvey and his own willingness to play dirty, it was actually quite likely). Either way, right now this was the only idea they had, the only way to make the merger happen. And Mike desperately wanted to help Harvey, seeing how much this deal meant to him.

"If it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. It's still worth a try," he said resolutely. After all, not like the situation could get any worse.

xxx

* * *

xxx

"Tanner is over there boxing," the gym receptionist said, pointing her hand at the ring. Mike was pretty sure, she was submissive, but damn that biceps looked impressive. _Don't get sidetracked. Focus - Tanner._

Everything went surprisingly smooth in the morning. He caught Megan off-guard, used a bit of intimidation then switched to the gentle persuading (playing both roles of bad cop and good cop) and she spilled her guts and readily signed the fake affidavit. Even called him _Sir. _And yeah, that felt really weird... Anyway, Mike had all the information and her signature to conjure a believable lawsuit on her behalf. When it prompted a couple of raised eyebrows from Harvey, Mike knew that it looked good.

By the time they got to Smith & Devane, Tanner had already left the office, so they decided to catch him at the gym. Mike has never seen Travis in person and he had to admit, that pictures didn't do him justice. The Dom was handsome. In real life he looked more like a playful Switch rather than the imposing Dom from the photos, his eyes smart and cunning, his expression currently focused on his opponent. Travis was marginally shorter but well built and there was undeniable strength behind his blows. If Mike wasn't already hopelessly in love he would definitely take interest in the Dom.

"You should work on your left hook," Harvey commented with a smirk. Mike knew he boxed as well, though he has never seen him in action.

Tanner signaled a pause and turned to them, "Well hello Harvey. Shouldn't you be at Whitmore Corp apologizing for fucking up their merger?"

"I'll definitely go there, after, to tell them the merger is happening. But first I wanted to give you your present. Let's call it 'a blast from the past'," Harvey replied smugly. "Mike?"

"Mr. Tanner, Mike Ross, my pleasure," Mike introduced himself handing Travis the file with the lawsuit. "I'm representing Megan Watts."

Tanner quickly lost his smile as he scanned the papers, his jaw tightening.

"Miss Watts feels like coming forward about the events surrounding her firing. After all, she WAS wrongfully terminated," Mike went on, watching Tanner's reactions carefully.

Tanner switched his attention to Mike and something flicked in his eyes. Something primal. Hate? Interest? Mike couldn't tell and it was gone almost immediately as Travis turned to Harvey. "How much?"

"Two million," Harvey stated, and when Tanner narrowed his eyes Mike knew that it could have been higher. "And you advise Birnham & Gordon to proceed with their original deal with Whitmore," Harvey added casually.

"Ah," Tanner chuckled as the understanding dawned on him, "I see," he said shaking his head, "You know Harvey, you keep claiming how you are better than me, but after all, you have no fucking character. You play dirty just like everyone else."

"You want character? How about we box for it?" Harvey taunted. Mike turned to him, surprised that Harvey switched tactics when they practically already _had_ him! But the Dom ignored his quizzing look, focusing on Travis instead.

Tanner appeared both surprised and amused, "The case attorneys having a go at it. Settling the battle with single combat like in ancient Greece," Travis mused smiling, "I'd say I'm interested. I win, you destroy that lawsuit."

"I win, you back the hell off that merger," Harvey countered and Mike cast him another worried glance. He really hoped that it wasn't just Harvey's ego talking and that he actually knew what he was doing.

"Not gonna happen," Travis said confidently, "I give you 15 minutes, you tap out before that and _you_ back the hell off that merger."

"Keep dreaming, Tanner."

"So do we have a deal?"

"Deal."

xxx

* * *

xxx

"What the hell are you doing?" Mike whispered.

"He would go to court. He didn't look nearly as angry as he should have. So he must have something on her as well," Harvey explained as he took his tie off. "Don't worry, I can take him," he reassured Mike, but the sub didn't look convinced.

"I don't like this," he said frowning.

"What are you doing, Harvey?" Tanner asked with a smug expression.

"What, are you having cold feet already?" Harvey replied equally smugly.

Tanner laughed. "I said _the attorneys,_" he stressed the word turning to Mike, "Come, come Mr. Ross. I see your name signed right here."

_Oh FUCK! _All color drained from Mike's face as he gaped at Tanner and then at Harvey.

"You piece of shit. Are you really so scared of me?" Harvey growled, losing his cool.

"Harvey, I'm not scared of you," Travis said shrugging, "You agreed for the attorneys to settle it with fists, and that's what I'm gonna do."

"We agreed to no such thing!"

"Ask your paralegal, I heard he has eidetic memory! Oops…" Travis shielded his mouth in mock dismay, "Did I say 'paralegal'? But that would mean that Michael Ross just _forged_ a legal document with an intention to commit _fraud!_"

_Double FUCK!_

"Forget the deal, I'm going to trash the hell out of you just for the pleasure of it," Harvey threatened, his expression leaving no doubt as to his intention to follow through with it.

"The _deal _still stands!" Travis commanded no longer smiling, his voice strong and dominant, "I box with Mike and if either one of you taps out before 15 minutes are through, you get the hell out of my sight and stay away from my clients," he stated, pointing a finger at Harvey.

_Fuckidy FUCK!_

Harvey turned to Mike, his face a mixture of worry and anger and Mike was not surprised. They got played so badly. The whole plan just backfired spectacularly. Travis must have known he has an upper hand as soon as he saw Mike's name written on the lawsuit. They totally underestimated Tanner's interest in Harvey. Apparently he has done his homework and knew all about Mike.

"Can you box?" Harvey asked the sub, though he already knew the answer.

"Does getting beat up in high school count?" Mike offered with a nervous laugh, which only seemed to put out Harvey further. "Hey, it's fine. You know I can take a thrashing."

"And if you don't want to end up in prison, you are _going to_," Travis commented sternly, leaving no doubt as to his actions shall Mike refuse to participate.

Mike changed into shorts and a t-shirt, all the while trying to persuade himself that he can do it. He already had all Travis's moves catalogued in his memory. He should be able to anticipate and evade just fine right? _Yeah as if that ever worked for you before, moron. _Well, winning was unlikely, so all he had to do to regain the status quo, was to last 15 minutes without passing out. _Eazy, right?_

"I'm not gonna go easy on you kid," Tanner told him when Mike climbed into the ring. "It's nothing personal, I'm sure you are a good guy, Mike. But you are on the wrong side of the ring and I like winning." Travis sounded almost apologetic, his expression kind, his tone soothing. Mike thought it might be a ruse to lull him into a false sense of security but it was also possible that Tanner has simply guessed his dynamic and was not particularly keen on beating up a sub.

"I could change the rules of the game, but I stand by my words. If Mike wins, I'll back off the merger and if I win, you will destroy the fake lawsuit you were never going to file anyway. But if your boy here won't last 15 minutes as per the agreement, you are going to drop it Harv, and accept defeat."

"You son of a bitch," Harvey snarled, glaring at Tanner.

"Don't be such a sore loser Harvey. Your little scheme didn't work out, so now you are gonna sit there and watch me beat the crap out of your guy," Travis sneered, crouching down to face Harvey.

"Stop goading him, Tanner, and let's fight. Or are you actually scared?" Mike interjected, fearing Harvey might snap any moment.

Travis turned, eyeing Mike with newfound interest, "Mouthy. I see why Harvey likes you."

"And I see, why he doesn't like you," Mike deadpanned with sarcasm and Tanner laughed.

"Now I'm almost sorry we are boxing, I'd much rather apply my hand in a different fashion," he remarked, smiling suggestively.

Mike blushed. He didn't dare to turn to check Harvey's reaction but he could practically feel his Dom's growing irritation. "Hard pass. Get to it, Tanner, I don't have all day," he snapped, proud at how fast he managed to recover from the spanking threat.

"Fair enough," Travis conceded, though his expression remained amused. He glanced over to the clock on the wall, "It's 18:50, we end at 19:05. You ready kid?"

Mike barely finished nodding when Tanner's fist made the first contact with his jaw sending him toppling to the ground.

_Motherfucker!_

Mike shook his head willing his vision to focus while he got back up. Travis wasted no time and as soon as Mike was upright, he took another swing at him, which Mike managed to avoid. The success was short-lived though since a second later Travis got him with his left hook and Mike was back on his ass. His cheek throbbed painfully and he tasted blood in his mouth. Tanner really wasn't holding back on him, that much was sure.

Eidetic memory didn't help for shit. Even when Mike knew the blow was coming, his reflexes weren't quick enough to do anything about it. And knowing where exactly he is going to get hurt, didn't make it hurt any less. Travis alternated between smashing his face and going after his ribs and kidneys. Mike attempted to land a couple of punches himself, but Tanner avoided all of them with humiliating ease.

After a couple of minutes of relentless beating, Mike started to wonder if Travis's gloves had any padding whatsoever since they seemed to do nothing to soften the hard blows. He glanced at the clock and cringed realizing they were barely halfway through. The momentary loss of focus was immediately punished with another harsh pummel to the face. Mike dropped to his knees and spit blood on the floor.

"Stop! Enough. Get the fuck away from him." Harvey jumped into the ring between Travis and Mike, ready to take Tanner on, shall he try to continue.

But Tanner didn't. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed at the clock, "Are you tapping out?"

"Yes," Harvey said without hesitation, watching Mike's face with unconcealed anguish.

"Good, then you are out, Specter. You better honor the deal because if I see you anywhere near my clients, I'll use this," Travis pointed at the fake lawsuit, "And your pretty boy will face a trial of his own." He jumped out of the ring and went to collect his things before coming back to address Mike, "Sorry kid. As I said, it's nothing personal."

"Fuck you, Tanner," Mike spat, both his pride and his body aching something awful as he sat on his knees, the streak of blood running down his chin. He didn't spare Travis another glance and instead raised his eyes to meet Harvey's. "I'm sorry," he whispered, feeling guilty for his ill-thought-out plan and ashamed at his ridiculously bad performance.

The Dom looked extremely frustrated and even though Mike knew Harvey must have been grieving the definite loss of the merger battle, he was pretty sure that it pained him to watch Mike get beat up. After all, he was the one to stop it, not Mike.

"Hush now. It's my fault, anyway."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked the Tanner vs Harvey boxing match in 2x10 and wanted to include it in some way in the fic... and somehow, this happened. lol


	13. Takedown

If avoiding mirrors was a sport, Mike would be on the Olympic team. By the next morning, his face swelled up and bloomed with 'beautiful' colors. He actually scared himself as he brushed his teeth in the morning. _The things I do for love, _he thought somewhat bitterly while examining his bruises. _Hold up, Jamie Lannister, you did it to save your own ass,_ he corrected himself with a grimace. Tanner threatened to put him in prison for fraud, if he doesn't submit himself for a beating, pardon boxing. No need to get all romantic about it.

But as much as his face and ribs hurt, he couldn't help feeling happy. Harvey stopped it, despite knowing he will lose the merger. And he did it for Mike. He didn't even say a word about the merger, only focusing on Mike's injuries. And he was so gentle and treated Mike so tenderly the entire night. They fell asleep spooning, for God's sake! If that's not love… ok maybe it's not _love_, but it's definitely _something!_

Harvey left for an early meeting, so Mike had the morning to himself to evaluate and treat his contusions. Yesterday he settled for dosing himself with Advil and let Harvey clean and disinfect the worst of it. Today, when he saw himself in the mirror, he actually contemplated skipping work. But knowing it won't look any better tomorrow, he realized he would only be prolonging the inevitable.

Biking to the office helped him clear his head and come up with a couple of excuses, but once he entered the elevator and was joined by none other than Jessica herself, his mind went completely blank, all the excuses vanishing and his tongue twisting in a knot.

"I erm, there were stairs… and then the glass wall..." he stuttered, gesticulating wildly and probably looking like a complete moron.

Jessica didn't bother hiding her disapproval, as she gave him a stern staredown before turning away and saying, "Follow me." She didn't have to use her dynamic for Mike to have his heart all the way up his throat and follow her silently into Harvey's office, feeling like a naughty child that was about to get a dressing down from his mom.

"Harvey? Why does your paralegal's face glow with all the colors of a rainbow?" she asked Harvey, crossing her arms on the chest as they entered his office. Mike cringed and cast his boss a sheepish glance.

"Shit. It looks even worse than yesterday," Harvey grimaced rubbing his forehead. "Couldn't you use make-up or something?"

"I don't do drag, Harvey," Mike replied sarcastically.

At that moment, Donna entered carrying their morning coffees and almost dropped them at the sight of Mike.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed, before turning to Harvey with a clear accusation, "What did you do?!"

"He didn't do that, Donna," Mike defended the Dom.

"Of course he didn't do it," she snapped as if she was annoyed Mike would even think such a thing was possible. "But he looks guilty, which means it _was_ his fault."

"I don't care whose fault it was," Jessica intervened before Harvey could say anything. "I don't want him anywhere near the clients!" She turned to Mike and the sub gulped nervously, "You are not to set foot out of the bullpen, till you look like a human again," she told him sternly and then turned back to Harvey, "I mean it! No dragging him along to the meetings. Let your paralegal do some _paralegal_ work for a change."

_You didn't seem to mind when I was bringing you clients and solving the cases. _But of course, Mike was not suicidal enough to voice that thought, so he nodded, saluted with an exaggerated "Aye Aye, Ma'am" and promptly left the office, followed by Donna.

He stalled for a while behind the corner to hear Harvey's explanation of the events and Jessica's irritated "Goddammit Mike Ross." It felt quite unfair to be blamed for the whole merger fiasco when the bulk of it was still Harvey's fault. But he couldn't remain butthurt when he heard how worried Jessica sounded when she said, "The partners are not gonna like it, you promised this deal will happen."

If even Jessica was getting anxious, then Harvey's position at the company was really at stake. Harvey might have been the best closer in New York, but his arrogance rubbed a lot of people the wrong way and partners of Pearson-Specter were no exception. He had a lot of admirers when it came to associates, but it was no secret that when it came to upper management, he was not exactly popular, and if it weren't for Jessica, he would've never become a name partner.

As if sensing his grim thoughts Donna placed a hand on Mike's shoulder. "He is gonna solve it. He always does," she said, offering a small smile.

Mike didn't feel very reassured. But then again, by the looks of it, neither did Donna. "What if he doesn't?"

The redhead hid her face behind the coffee mug, pretending to sip on her coffee, before placing it firmly on the table and giving Mike a hard look. "Then both you and me... will have to look for a new job."

_Crap._

xxx

* * *

xxx

On the way back to his cubicle, Mike tried to prevent the annoying questions with readily prepared excuses like "Fell of the bed", "Sports! I know right?", "You better stay out of Queens", "You should see the other guy!" or "The first rule of Fight Club…" and they kinda worked till he ran smack right into Louis.

"Sweet mother of…"

"Oh hey Louis, you know those revolving doors in Chilton, right?"

"Yeah totally, I keep smashing my face all the time there," Louis nodded, his expression totally serious.

"You do?"

"Uh-huh, also known as 'you just got beaten to a pulp'. Who was it?"

"Why?" Mike asked narrowing his eyes since Louis's tone sounded oddly protective.

"Let's just say I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy etc... who can make sure whoever did this to you will be limping for the rest of their life."

"Wow, ok. That's a generous offer. Uhm, why do you care again?" Mike couldn't help wondering. Louis was always such a douchebag towards him.

"Because nobody messes up with the hounds of Pearson-Specter. Besides, beating up a sub is just low."

Mike was about to comment on being a 'hound', but then he just ended up gaping at Louis.

"What! How? But.. you always gave me crap for being a Dom!" he whispered, shocked at the revelation.

"Yeah, but I was just playing along," Louis shrugged.

"You… really?"

"You seemed so intent on hiding it, I didn't want you to feel like you get different treatment because of it," Louis explained.

Mike, still bedazzled from Louis's admission that all this time he was bullying him for _Mike's_ sake, couldn't come up with anything else to say but, "Thanks…? I guess."

"Anytime. And If you decide to punish the," he made a couple of jerky moves over Mike's face, "_whoever_, you just let me know."

Mike only nodded his head, opting not to say anything anymore… ever. Alright, that might've been a tad too dramatic. But really… Louis knew? Who else did?

Well, there was one way to find out.

***

"Hey Rachel, I was wondering…" he burst into her office casually, despite (or maybe _because_) knowing how much it annoyed her.

Today he was given a free pass though, once she raised her head from the proofing she was doing and stared at Mike's battered face.

"Jesus Mike, what happened to you?"

"Boxing. Totally out of my league. Or maybe just not my sport. Either way, I'm never trying it again." And that was actually as close to the truth as he got today.

She frowned, clearly wanting to question some more but then decided to drop it, "Good choice. So what is it?"

"Uhm, it's personal. If you don't mind me asking…" Mike chewed on his bottom lip feeling stupid. "What dynamic are you?" It was not a question that people easily threw out there. You could either tell or you couldn't, but asking point-blank was just kinda uncomfortable for both parties.

Rachel didn't appear awkward at all though. She gave him a warm smile as if she was waiting for him to ask all along and he finally did. "I'm vanilla, Mike. Was that your guess?"

"Yeah totally," and then when he saw her skeptical look, he admitted, "No, I thought, you were a Switch or a sub."

"Well, now you see how it's not easy to work in an environment filled with Doms hitting on you."

"Yeah, you turned me down and I barely even said hello to you," Mike chuckled remembering their meet-cute.

"You actually didn't say hello at all," she pointed out and Mike grinned admitting defeat.

"Hey, you didn't ask about me."

"I know you're a sub, Mike," she replied readily, confirming Mike's suspicions. "Despite your vanilla-act, which is not that bad," she quickly added as a sort of consolation.

"Who else knows?"

Rachel grimaced apologetically, clearly searching for words on how to break it to him. "Well, Kyle, Gregory, Jimmy, uhm... Harold..."

"In other words, _everybody_," Mike lamented, running a hand through his hair and wincing as his sleeve brushed over his swollen eye, "Really, even Harold?" Rachel shrugged, offering a sympathetic smile and Mike sighed, "Well I guess it figures, after all, he is one as well."

"Uhm, actually, Harold is a Switch," she corrected him.

Mike frowned, "Damn, I was pretty sure about him," and then it dawned on him… How everyone _knew_, how Rachel looked sorry about it, how Louis went out of his way to bully Mike just so that he didn't feel 'left out'... "Oh my God! Am I the ONLY ONE?!"

"No no… of course not," Rachel shook her hands frantically, "There's also Norma."

_You gotta be fucking kidding me…_ Mike looked over at the 'mummified remains of a legal secretary' (as Jessica once put it) unsure whether he should laugh or cry. He wondered if Harvey lied on the interview when he said that he doesn't know how many subs worked in Pearson-Specter. But whether he did or not, he was telling the truth when he said that it didn't matter as long as you do your job well. Because apparently despite knowing Mike was a sub, no one ever treated him any differently or gave him any leeway. Gregory still set him up with Bainbridge briefs, Kyle still destroyed him at the mock trial and Louis went out of his way to bully the shit out of him. And no-one ever used his dynamic against him or even hit on him.

Misinterpreting Mike's sudden silence, Rachel took his hand in a gesture of comfort, "Actually I don't think anyone would be able to tell if it wasn't for Harvey."

"What do you mean?"

"He never showed interest in anybody before. Never worked with anyone. And certainly never looked this way at anyone."

"How?"

"Possessive."

_Well… that explains why nobody dared to hit on me, I guess..._

Mike gave her a quick smile ready to head back and 'do some paralegal work for a change', before stopping by the door frame. "Hey, do you know what Donna is?"

"Yeah."

"Hmm?"

"Awesome."

xxx

* * *

xxx

The next couple of days dragged out in a grim boring fashion. Mike worked on proofing within his cubicle, while Louis and other senior partners kept supplying him with more and more tedious work. Harvey was busy searching for an alternative deal before Whitmore Corp fired him, since they somehow found out that it was Pearson-Specter that tanked the merger.

Mike offered his help several times and Harvey turned him down each and every time. But Mike didn't let go until Harvey finally snapped saying that 'he already helped plenty'. He apologized right away, but it was enough to drive the message home.

Harvey blamed Mike. Perhaps not openly, not to his face, but subconsciously there was some level of resentment, that he couldn't seem to get over. And as much as Mike hated it, he understood it. Harvey was under so much pressure, it was palpable. Mike didn't need to add more drama to an already difficult situation, so he decided to be an adult about it and give Harvey the necessary space.

He still helped with minor stuff and offered his opinions on other topics but he no longer attempted to address the elephant in the room and left Harvey to deal with it. Harvey was pulling ridiculous hours, staying at the office till late night, so needless to say there was no tie switching or playing. Mike went home to sleep 4 nights in a row.

And yeah, he missed his Dom. Missed the easy banter. Missed how Harvey's eyes would flash with excitement and dark promise when Mike teased him in full brat mode. Missed how he would follow up on those dark promises leaving Mike sore and anxious for release, but flying high on endorphins. Missed the feeling of a painful stretch when Harvey got too excited to prepare him properly for the rough entry. Missed how he would get all gentle and affectionate afterward, showering Mike with tender caress and soft kisses.

On Friday evening Mike decided that he gave Harvey enough space. It was time to snap out of it. He went to talk to him but was stopped midway seeing as there was a partner meeting going on. Jessica was arguing about something, Harvey just looked pale and speechless. He stood up and just walked off, brushing right past Mike like a zombie. Others followed shortly after.

Mike caught Louis by the arm, "What happened?" he asked, unable to keep the alarm out of his voice. Normally Louis was always full of glee whenever Harvey got in trouble. This time though he didn't look cheerful at all.

"We might be renaming the company…"

_Fuck!_

Mike ran over to Harvey's office, ignoring Donna's protests.

"What's going on?" he demanded, not caring whether he was overstepping.

"Sure, feel free to barge in. No like I'm a name partner or anything…" Harvey snapped, glaring at Mike.

"You got fired?!"

"No." Harvey got off the chair and walked over to the glass wall, staring into the bright red sunset over Manhatten. "They call it 'demoted'. I'm still a senior partner, but they feel like my name is not 'beneficial' for Pearson-Sp... Pearson anymore."

"That's…" _not that bad? Probably not what one wants to hear in such situations. _"I'm sorry."

Harvey didn't reply and just sighed heavily. Mike desperately wanted to go over to the Dom and hug him, but he settled on just getting Harvey out of there.

"Alright, that's it. We are going out. Drinking. Pick a place, my treat."

Harvey shook his head, "Mike, I'm really not in the mood…"

"None of that. We are going even if I have to drag you there by the ear."

Harvey turned around and the shadow of a smile passed his lips. "Last time I checked _I_ was the Dom."

"The Dom, who is going to do exactly as I say," Mike parried unabashedly.

Harvey approached Mike and something familiar and predatory flicked in his gaze, "And you are a sub who still has a pending trip to the spanking bench. Don't think I forgot about it."

Mike felt the familiar flutter in his stomach, basking in his Dom's attention and the subtle threat. "You can add it to my list of transgressions, but we are going. End of discussion," he said resolutely, tugging at Harvey's tie for good measure.

Harvey held his challenging gaze and then turned him around and send him off with a sharp swat, "Fine, you brat. Meet me downstairs in 10 minutes."

Any other day, Mike would glare at the Dom for doing something so embarrassing in a public place, at his _workplace_ \- and in front of Donna to boot, but right now he was too busy being pleased with himself. So what if somebody might have overseen it? Everyone apparently knew Mike was a sub anyway. And for once, Mike couldn't find it in him to care.

xxx

* * *

xxx

The club that Harvey chose, was as expected posh and polished, but the pleasant dim lighting, laid back atmosphere and unobtrusive rock music quickly won Mike over. Harvey didn't waste any time and proceeded to do exactly what they came for - getting drunk. Mike quickly realized that he was to be 'the responsible one' tonight, so he kept his own drinking in moderation, allowing Harvey to lose himself in his misery and rant about the unfairness of the world.

Mike didn't mind providing the willing ear. Harvey rarely complained about anything. He always said that 'winners don't make excuses'. But he was not exactly a winner right now and he absolutely deserved to bellyache all he wanted.

Mike noticed that with raising levels of alcohol people around became more comfortable with showcasing their dynamic. At the table right next to them, there was a sub kneeling by her Dom's feet with her gaze cast submissively on the floor, a cute blush adorning her cheeks. She looked slightly embarrassed, but it was obvious she was doing it for her Dom's pleasure and his quiet "Good girl" melted even Mike's heart. Mike tried not to stare, feeling like he was intruding on something private and intimate, but his gaze kept flicking back to the couple. He couldn't help wondering if it was something Harvey would want too.

It was not exactly frowned upon to act this way in public, but it was certainly not very common nowadays. Occasionally one could see a sub being led on a leash or a swift discipline exercised right on the street, but mostly such things were dealt with in private. Of course, there were dedicated clubs that supported risqué behavior and public scening and the only reason Harvey never took Mike there, was probably because Mike was never comfortable acting as a sub outside of the bedroom. Though he would likely enjoy watching others nonetheless.

"Harvey, what a pleasant surprise!"

Mike snapped his head to see Tanner's smug face and couldn't resist the urge to groan. The dickhead had the worst timing ever! There was a young, barely legal, twink sub standing behind him and casting curious glances towards them.

"Can't say the feeling is mutual," Harvey replied, his voice slurred from the alcohol.

"My condolences, I heard Whitmore fired Pearson - Specter," Travis gloated, not bothering to conceal his glee.

Harvey didn't reply but Mike could tell that he was running on fumes of his self-control.

"Get lost, Tanner," Mike snapped, but the Dom ignored him.

"Is it true that Pearson is no longer Specter? I mean, good riddance if you ask me. All the bloated reputation of the best closer in New York only predestines clients for severe disappointment. Whoring yourself to the black momma will only get you so far."

Harvey lunged himself at Travis and only because Mike was anticipating it all along, did he manage to stop him.

"Let me go, Mike!"

"Harvey, he is not worth it!" Mike tried to reason with the enraged Dom, still effectively restraining him. It was clear how out of it Harvey was if he got triggered by such a ridiculous notion like sleeping his way to the top.

"Whoa, so scary! What are you gonna do?" Travis goaded, laughing loudly.

"Let me go!" Harvey fumed, his voice enriched with a powerful dominant command. Mike resisted the strong pull to obey and held his ground. Damn it, where were the security guys when you needed them?!

"You are pathetic, Harv. Even your sub doesn't listen to you."

Mike shot Tanner a hateful glare and then noticed that the scene managed to draw a lot of attention and all eyes were upon them.

"Let GO!" Harvey thundered and snapped his arms strongly, sending Mike toppling into their table knocking down all the drinks. The loud sound of crushing glass seemed to snap him out of his rage, and after a brief moment of silence when everybody seemed to be holding their breath, his shoulders slumped and he collapsed back into the armchair, resting his elbows on his knees and burying hands in his hair.

That's when the waiters came rushing in to clean the mess and Tanner finally walked away, visibly satisfied to get such an explosive reaction and subsequent public humiliation. Mike was drenched in whiskey, and seeing Harvey's dejected (but no longer threatening) posture, he excused himself to the bathroom to clean the worst of it.

Mike wasn't even particularly upset by Harvey's violent behavior, knowing he was provoked and didn't mean to hurt him. Belatedly Mike realized, that instead of mitigating the conflict he only managed to escalate it by his actions. It did not help that his face still held the traces of bruising, painting a rather grim picture of a rebellious sub who showed open defiance in public, and an abusive Dom who used his fists to enforce obedience.

Well hopefully, Harvey didn't like this club too much, because Mike felt like neither of them will want to visit it again anytime soon. Mike contemplated a couple of vengeful scenarios he could play out to pay Tanner back but decided that right now there was enough damage done for one evening. He ordered a cab through an app and went to fetch Harvey.

But the sight he was greeted with made him stop dead in his tracks. There was a petite dark haired submissive woman with foxy features and flirtatious grin, sitting casually on Harvey's lap while Harvey was resting his hand on the small of her back and smiling warmly at her. Mike did a double-take, refusing to believe that during 15 min he spent in the bathroom, somebody managed to crawl into Harvey's lap and that he would let her!

The worst of all was how incredibly natural it looked. The girl was gorgeous and fit Harvey like a puzzle, and Harvey seemed relaxed and comfortable in her presence.

The first impulse Mike had was to turn on his heel and ran away in tears - right into the busy street, where he would get hit by a careless cab driver and suffer a head trauma that would result in a temporary case of amnesia. Yeah, that would be a plotline worthy of like every soap opera popular in the 90s (not that Mike would ever admit to watching them), but Mike was not an emotionally unstable heroine, he was a smart rational guy. Therefore as much as reenacting such a scenario felt oddly appealing at the moment, he decided to give Harvey the benefit of the doubt.

"I called us a cab, Harvey," Mike said, trying hard not to stare at the woman on Harvey's knees. He expected Harvey to push her away, or to give him an apologetic shrug, or to at least _appear_ uncomfortable. But Harvey looked as if nothing out of ordinary was going on.

"Mike, this is Dana Scott, we went together to Harvard Law. Scottie, this is Mike, my paralegal," Harvey introduced them, and Mike felt like he had just been sucker-punched. Not 'my boyfriend' or 'my sub' or even 'my protégé'. _My, fucking, paralegal! Way to show me my place._

"Nice to meet you, Mike," Scottie smiled at him, offering her hand for a handshake.

Mike accepted the hand feeling like the ground was shifting beneath his feet. Dana Scott was a star attorney of Darby International and Mike has read about several of her big wins. So that answered the question of whether a sub could be a successful lawyer…

"Scottie has a very interesting proposition about Whitmore Corp," Harvey told him, looking remarkably pleased. Mike still had trouble breathing and he hoped that his face didn't show the turmoil of emotions squeezing his chest. His phone beeped announcing that the car was waiting for them.

"The cab is here," he said, barely managing to keep the tremble out of his voice.

"You can go, I'll catch one later," Harvey replied, sinking the metaphorical knife further into Mike's heart.

Dana put a hand on his shoulder and smiled sweetly at him, "It's alright, I'll take care of him."

Mike knew that if he stayed there for another second he will do something stupid. Feeling utterly gutted, he slowly walked away, using the last remnants of self-control not to turn around to see their faces. It hurt to the point of physical pain. He wondered if that was what a subdrop felt like and then realized that he was most definitely having one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC


	14. Spiraling down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter fought me!

The weather outside the club perfectly reflected Mike's emotional state. The night sky was covered with an array of heavy grey clouds, the strong cold wind went through all the layers making Mike shiver and as his vision blurred the first raindrops fell on his face. _How fucking fitting!_

He climbed into the cab and took a couple of seconds to decide where to go. He couldn't exactly tell the driver to just drive him off the cliff. Though just as the previous amnesia plotline, such a scenario felt stupidly tempting. Would Harvey feel guilty if Mike tragically died right after his betrayal? Would he feel responsible for his death? Would he come to his funeral, looking devastated and remorseful?

_Idiot, idiot, idiot! Snap out of it! He might not even fucking care! He sure didn't look like he did just now! _The first tear spilled on his cheek and he swallowed a sob, that formed in his throat.

"You ok, mate?" the taxi driver asked, frowning at him. He looked very young, probably around 20 or so and even though he had no reason to care, he did look concerned.

"Yes," Mike replied, but his voice broke making the lie all too obvious. He took a couple of deep breaths, willing not to fall apart in front of a stranger. He hugged his chest and squeezed firmly, trying to get a grip… quite literally. He must have looked like a drug addict on withdrawal, but the driver didn't comment and waited patiently. After a minute or so, Mike finally managed to give him the address and the car moved.

"You are dropping, aren't you," the guy remarked casually, as if he was commenting on the weather and not observing a client having a nervous breakdown on the backseat.

"No," Mike denied but then hesitated, "Yes. I don't know... None of your business," he finally snapped unable to contain the frustration, even though the guy clearly didn't deserve it. He didn't say anything after that and they drove in silence.

The car stopped in front of Mike's shabby apartment building and Mike was suddenly filled with dread at the prospect of spending the night alone in that shithole. What were his options though? Usually, this would be the time to hang out with Trevor. His friend never pried and rarely judged, he simply offered his company and most of the time that was exactly what Mike needed. But Trevor was in Montana now - another courtesy of Harvey. Perhaps Mike could just hit a bar and get shitfaced… or high… or both.

He didn't realize that he must have been sitting like this, brooding in silence, for a couple of minutes till he heard the heavy sigh from the front seat.

"Oh shit, sorry, here," he passed the 50 dollar bill, not bothering to ask how much the cab actually cost. "Uhm, sorry for before..." Mike apologized awkwardly. The guy seemed patient and understanding, which was not all that common for somebody who spent his day driving through the jams of Manhattan.

"No problem, mate. Been there done that," he replied with a sympathetic smile.

Mike's hand was already on the door handle but those words held him in the seat. "What did you do? I mean… how did you cope?" he asked, feeling stupid for prying into the private life of a complete stranger but having literally zero experience with a subdrop, Mike had no idea how to deal with it.

"Never dropped before, huh?" At Mike's noncommittal grunt, he shrugged, "You just get through it with your Dom," he said and watching Mike wince, added, "Or any Dom, or just a friend. I mean in the end you just get through it, nobody will take this feeling away, you still suffer through it, it's just easier when there is somebody around. There are also drugs."

"Drugs?"

"Yeah, some Dropstop or whatever they call it. Just ask in the pharmacy, it should numb you down. Though I never tried those."

Well, that sounded exactly like something Mike needed. "I'll do that. Thanks."

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike stacked up on 'drop suppressors' and then paid a visit to the coffee cart guy for some weed... just in case. The sense of purpose of acquiring medicine managed to temporarily keep his focus on something other than the gigantic hole in his chest, but once the door closed behind him and he was alone in the apartment, the pain hit him with new force.

Mike resisted an impulse to just swallow every fucking pill he has bought and splash it down with vodka for good measure. _You're a responsible adult, not a hysterical diva with a bad case of PMS, just find the dosage in the fucking leaflet for god's sake!_ he scolded himself harshly, hating all the pathetic thoughts that kept plaguing his mind. He has never been suicidal. His life was no walk in the park, but he was stronger than that. And the fact that such ideas even came to his head, filled Mike with shame.

He ended up taking twice the prescribed amount, and it was still not fucking enough. But since he actually did read the patient information leaflet, he knew that drinking alcohol was a no-no. There was nothing mentioned about the pot though… and hey, he tried, alright? It's a fucking medical weed at this point!

The rest of the night was a half-conscious psychedelic blur. Mike wasn't sure when did his brain finally shut down, he just remembered that it gave him hell before it did. By the time he woke up on Saturday, it was already 2 pm. His head hurt and he felt sick. Drop suppressors + weed = not a good combo after all.

Like a zombie, he staggered around the kitchen searching for coffee, before getting overcome with sudden nausea and bolting to the bathroom to empty his stomach into the toilet. He kept retching for several minutes till nothing was coming out anymore.

"God, I'm pathetic," he groaned, wiping his mouth with one hand and the dampness out of his eyes with the other. How long is this fucking thing going to last?! His chest didn't feel like it's gonna implode on itself anymore, but it got replaced with grief and anger and regret and a multitude of other emotions that Mike didn't know how to name. Was it still subdrop, or did he slowly pass into regular depression?

He climbed into the shower and let the hot streams of water wash away the stink of vomit, weed, and sweat. He kept adding temperature, till the steam was making him lightheaded. Still, it didn't help. He sunk to the floor and hugged his knees, once more feeling utterly pathetic.

'Pathetic' - that's what Tanner called Harvey. Because Mike refused to obey him despite the dominant command that Harvey issued. To be openly defied in public and called out on it must have been incredibly humiliating for the proud Dom. Besides he was drunk… _Oh my God! Why am I searching for excuses to justify his behavior?!_

Mike stormed out of the shower angrily, as if it was somehow responsible for his ill thoughts. He heard the beep of his phone and his pulse quickened as he grabbed it anxiously. But it was just an app reminding him to rate his yesterday's taxi service. No new messages, no missed phone calls. Nothing. Chagrined he lit up another joint and inhaled deeply.

Perhaps he shouldn't try to justify Harvey's behavior because Harvey actually didn't do anything _wrong_… He never promised Mike anything more than what they were having. They operated under a mutual understanding that their relationship was based on conveniency and physical attraction. It was probably not fair to blame him simply because Mike kept holding onto his hopes, misinterpreting Harvey's words and searching for the hidden meaning behind his actions. Take all the constructed pipe dreams away, and you will be left with a non-committed Dom, whose only crime was that he welcomed an old submissive acquaintance in a way that was natural for them.

_How dare he, when he is supposed to be madly in love with his horrible wannabe sub and a screw up of a paralegal! _Mike thought sarcastically.

Scottie was everything that Mike was not. It was silly to even try to compare them. She was a Harvard educated smart and successful star lawyer of a big international company. Do I even need to say more?

_You do._

Alright, she was also petite and incredibly feminine, her behavior calm and genial with a spark of playfulness, her submissiveness natural and beautiful (not forced or awkward). She was exactly the dream type that every Dom wanted in a sub - compliant, but not stupid, obedient, but not obsequious.

How could anyone blame Harvey for showing her preference over Mike?

***

Mike always felt that he never had time for anything. His job schedule and scening with Harvey barely left any time to visit Grams, much less laze around the TV or catch up on his favorite shows. But now that he actually had the time, he didn't know what to do with himself.

He kept checking his phone every 5 minutes and the hurt and frustration and anger multiplied every time there was nothing… At some point, he turned off the phone altogether just to stop this horrible 'anxious teenage girl' act.

Now that the suppressors left his body, Mike fully engaged in numbing his senses the _traditional_ way through alcohol and weed. He tried to watch several shows, but never managed to pay attention. The Big Bang Theory jokes kept flying over his head, the Game of Thrones plot twists kept confusing him and The Handmaid's Tale cruelty was too much to take. Mike even tried to watch porn, but his dick was almost offended at Mike's efforts to bring him to life after all the substance abuse he was indulging in.

No matter what he did, his mind kept coming back to Harvey, going over the events, analyzing them over and over again. What could he have done differently? If he let Harvey punch Tanner, would it have made a difference? Would telling Harvey about his feelings have helped? Was there ever any scenario at which Mike was not gonna end up with a heartbreak?

Did Harvey even know he hurt Mike? He must have. The Dom was reading people for a living and he always claimed Mike to be an open book, surely even in his intoxicated state, he must have been able to see it. Did he really care so little not to even check up on him?

What if Harvey decided to pretend like nothing actually happened, and treated Mike the same way as always on Monday? Yet again Mike felt deeply ashamed at how much he hoped for this outcome. _Where is your self-esteem, god dammit! _He would actually let Harvey get away with hurting him just so that he could keep their non-committing 'relationship'? That was unhealthy, toxic and just plain self-destructive!

_No,_ Mike decided, _this is where I draw the line._ Their arrangement was doomed as soon as Mike started to develop feelings for Harvey. He just refused to see it due to the lingering hope that one day Harvey will wake up and proclaim his undying love. And now Mike finally saw that this was never going to happen. It might have been a rude awakening, but at least it allowed him to back off this relationship with still some dignity intact.

On Sunday Mike decided that there has been enough wallowing in self-pity and it was time to put his shit together. He went out to get some groceries and clear his head from the hangover. It helped, he even decided to visit Grams later on. But as soon as he got back to the apartment, looking at all the empty bottles and weed, the melancholy hit him again.

Well, one extra joint never killed anybody…

***

The soft knock on the door pulled Mike out of his zonked headspace. He staggered lazily to answer the door, not even speculating anymore that it could be Harvey. And yet that's exactly who was standing behind the door, looking all groomed and polished, with a thousand-dollar haircut and a smile to die for. He looked every bit the self-assured confident Dom, that Mike fell in love with and he couldn't hate him more for it than he did at the moment.

"Harveeeey," Mike drawled. "What do you want?"

Alright, that was rude, but Mike's cup of care run out somewhere between the second and the third joint.

Harvey's smile faltered and as he smelled the weed, it disappeared altogether. "You are high," he stated, disapproval written all over his face.

"No shit Sherlock," Mike deadpanned, "Do you need anything? Cause you are kinda killing my buzz."

Harvey's jaw stiffened with obvious anger at being spoken to with such blatant disrespect. His gaze hardened like it always did, when he was about to dole out some much-needed discipline. Mike almost took a step back, his pulse quickening with fear and excitement - a common physical reaction for whenever he got himself in trouble. Oh, how he wanted Harvey to just take charge and put him in his place, _craved it_, but at the same time, he was so furious he could punch him if the Dom dared to as much as touch him.

It must have shown on Mike's face because the next second Harvey dropped the eye contact, his scowl replaced with something achingly similar to concern or perhaps even regret.

"Can I come in?" he asked, his voice uncharacteristically timid.

Mike didn't move an inch, still blocking the doorway. "Is it work-related?"

"Would you let me in, if it was?"

"You'd be on the clock and that would be the only reason I'd spend my free time in your presence."

_Harsh. But deserved._

"Mike…"

"What?" he met Harvey's imploring look with a challenge. He tried to appear calm and collected, but he knew he was failing.

"Nothing happened."

"And what makes you think I care?" As soon as Mike said it, he realized how ridiculous he sounded. He was in fact relieved by Harvey's admission that he didn't sleep with Scottie, but at the same time, he knew that it didn't change anything. Mike was still hurt. Their relationship was still imbalanced. And Harvey would still toss him away whenever a better sub showed up.

Harvey pointed behind him to the empty bottles and the ashtray full of weed. "You care," he stated the obvious.

"Alright Harvey, you got me," his voice dripping with sarcasm, Mike still made no movement to let the Dom in. "But don't worry, I'm a big boy, I'll get over it."

"This is not …," Harvey trailed off, sighing in frustration, "Look, I never promised you..." he struggled, searching for words.

"Anything? Yeah, you never promised me anything. And yet your _stupid_ _paralegal_ still decided to get hurt. I'm so sorry, what was he thinking?"

The venomous sarcasm helped Mike hide his raging emotions. He desperately wanted to be hugged and reassured that everything is going to be alright. But he has been practicing self-delusion long enough, it was time to cut the crap.

Harvey looked irritated and lost. For a moment Mike thought that he was just going to walk away like it was not worth his time anymore.

"This is not going anywhere. You are a mess and all that," he pointed at the alcohol and weed, "is not doing you any good. Let me in," he commanded sternly, strongarming Mike into obedience.

Mike felt the familiar pull but was surprised at how easily he overcame it. "You don't get to do that anymore. It's none of your business what do I do after hours. I'll see you tomorrow... if at all."

"You are quitting?" Harvey's voice sounded breathless, with a vulnerability that Mike witnessed maybe only once or twice.

"No, Harvey, I'm a grown-up. I can separate personal and professional life. Besides I actually need the money. It's just that _paralegals_ don't get to interact with senior partners all that much." Mike started closing the door, but Harvey stopped him.

"Mike, _please_… let's talk."

"There is nothing to talk about. We played this bet for way too long. I think it's enough." With that, he closed the door right into Harvey's face. Mike was pretty sure that not many people got to do that to the mighty Harvey Specter. And it should have felt good, but it felt anything but. Mike rested his forehead against the door, silently begging Harvey to smash it open and punish him severely for this horrible display of disrespect.

For a minute there was no sound coming from the other side and then he heard the footsteps moving away and as the sound faded, his vision blurred and he finally broke down sobbing.

xxx

* * *

xxx

On Monday morning, Mike was woken up by a loud banging on the door. He checked his phone, and damn he was late. Did Harvey come to kick his ass for being late? To fire him? Or did something happen? Anxious he bolted to open the door and was greeted with the sight of the one person he definitely didn't expect.

"Tanner?" _What the fuck is HE doing here?_

"Michael. Looking sleepy," the Dom observed smirking, "I wasn't sure I'll catch you here so late."

Still groggy from sleep, Mike tried to force his confused brain to function. "Do I even wanna know how the fuck you got my home address?"

"You don't," Travis replied arching a sly brow, as he brushed past him into the living room. "Lovely," he commented mockingly, eyeing the compromising evidence of Mike's recent break down on the table.

"Sure, invite yourself in, dickhead." Mike glared at him, crossing the arms over his chest, silently berating himself for letting Tanner sneak in.

Travis didn't seem affected whatsoever, if anything, he seemed amused by Mike's hostility. "Is that how you talk to all the Doms, or just the selected few?"

"Only towards the conceited arrogant pricks. But since the majority of Doms are, you don't have to feel special," Mike deadpanned.

Tanner's eyes flashed, as Harvey's often did whenever Mike crossed the line with his brattitude. "Mouthy as ever, I like it."

But Mike refused to get sidetracked by the subtle flirting and the Dom vibes that Tanner was sending him. "What do you want, Tanner?"

"To apologize."

_Oh, not what I expected..._

Mike quickly masked the surprise with another annoyed scowl. "For beating the crap out of me, or humiliating me in public?"

"Both." Tanner didn't appear particularly apologetic, but at least he stopped smirking. "I also wanted to give you this," he handed Mike a file.

"What is it?"

"A job offer."

_Alright… That's definitely not what I expected._ Mike took the offer and studied it. The first thing that forced his eyebrows up was the 200 thousand dollars a year salary. Paralegals didn't get that kind of money, not even on Wall Street. The second was flexible working hours. And sure, sometimes 'flexible' was a cover word for 24/7, but then Mike saw the Columbia University application form and his jaw dropped completely.

Apparently Smith & Devane was willing to sponsor the law degree at Columbia University while employing him as an associate, with a salary that no summer associate ever made. The offer seemed almost too good to be true.

"All that just to stick it to Harvey Specter?"

"Of course not," Tanner denied, waving his hand, "If what I heard about you is even remotely true, you are well worth the investment. If it also takes Harvey's little toy away from him, then that's just an added bonus."

Mike frowned at the word, cringing at the idea that that was all he was to Harvey. "So that's what I'm going to be? Your little toy?"

"Semantics matter to you?"

When Mike pouted despite himself, Tanner chuckled shaking his head, "Proud bratty sub," he remarked, sounding amused and kinda fascinated. "Alright, not a toy, let's call you an asset. I'm pretty sure you will be pulling 10 times the number I will be paying you in no time."

"So there's no catch? You just sponsor the Columbia tuition, mentor me and pay me obscene amounts of money, no strings attached?"

Tanner gave him a lewd smile, "I would be lying if I said that your bratty-ass attitude didn't intrigue me. Hell, you probably push buttons of every Dom in a 5-mile radius and I would definitely enjoy bringing you to heel."

Tanner's gaze held intensity which made Mike gulp, his pulse quickening, and it didn't escape the Dom's attention, "And I can tell that you crave just that," he said, his voice dropping down a couple of octaves to a suggestive deep purr. "But I'm not in a habit of soliciting sex. If I needed a hooker, there are way cheaper options."

It was stupid, how dangerously accurate Tanner was in guessing Mike's need to be forced into submission, despite only seeing him twice for what amounted less than 20 minutes altogether. The Dom was like Harvey in a lot of ways - handsome, self-assured, observant, witty, successful… And he didn't seem to be hiding some ulterior agenda, either. But Mike had his mind made up about him even before seeing the offer, and nothing changed.

He handed the papers back to Tanner, "Thanks, but no."

"Are you sure? You might wanna take some time with that decision."

"No, actually I don't," he replied, urging the Dom out of the door, "You see, I've had a lengthy conversation with Megan about you. She told me all about how gentle and attentive and caring you were, and yet strict when the situation warranted it... just so fucking _perfect,_" he spat the word as if it was an insult, "She loved you. Actually, the way her voice cracked a couple of times, she might still do. But you know why she never forgave you? Not because you were a bad Dom, but because you are a disloyal piece of shit."

"Loyalty…," Tanner scoffed, "isn't it a two-way street? 'If I'm asking it from you, you are getting it from me.' That's what Harvey always says, isn't it? But he didn't seem to be particularly loyal to _you_, kid. Not from what I've seen in that club."

Mike swallowed a lump that formed in his throat, the image of Scottie on Harvey's knees so painfully fresh in his mind. It hurt just as bad as when he saw it 3 days ago, reminding Mike that it was not some misguided sense of corporate faithfulness that made him stay by Harvey's side.

"You are right, loyalty might be conditional… but love isn't."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TBC  
One more to go! ^^


	15. Breaking down walls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Last one!  
Thank you for all the encouraging feedback you showed to this story!

Mike came to work 2 hours late but nobody said a word about it. There was a stack of papers to proof, mostly from Louis and other partners but there were also two folders that belonged to Harvey's clients. Mike wondered whether he sent Donna to deliver them, or came to bring them himself. Not that either ever happened before, Harvey would usually just call Mike and tell him to "get his ass over there". But Mike would like to hope that Harvey used the opportunity and came down just to see him.

_Stop! Stop thinking about him._

Mike shook his head and dived into proofing, forcing his brain to focus on the contract in front of him. But after 5 minutes of reading, he realized that he doesn't remember (yeah, you heard me, doesn't REMEMBER) anything he has read.

_He pleaded. Like actually pleaded. And he looked so miserable as he did it. _Mike sighed. He has never seen Harvey plead anyone, for anything. I mean, of course, Harvey was polite and used the word "please" on a regular basis, but begging was just completely out of character for the arrogant Dom. Would Harvey really act this way, if Mike was just a convenient good fuck?

_Did I make a mistake?_

The question kept drilling a hole in Mike's head ever since Harvey left. Mike knew perfectly well why he ended things and persuaded himself that it was the correct decision time and time again. But now, sitting in the office of the company that still borne Harvey's name, with just a couple of floors between them, it somehow hurt even more.

However, wallowing in misery was not what he was paid for, so he fetched himself a strong coffee and focused on work, prioritizing stuff based on urgency, rather than allegiance to Harvey as he always did before. As soon as he got into the correct headspace, stuff went smoothly, as usual, his brilliant brain working with twice the efficiency of any other normal human being.

By the time he finished Harvey's clients, it was already late afternoon and people were going home. He toyed with an idea of just leaving the finished work on his desk and sneaking it into Harvey's office first thing tomorrow morning, to avoid contact with the Dom, but that would not exactly support his words about being able to separate personal and professional life. Besides, he could just leave stuff on Donna's desk, no need to meet Harvey for something so trivial.

Mike didn't make it to Donna's desk as he noticed the meeting going on in the conference room. He casually leaned against the wall peeking inside through the glass wall. There was Harvey with people from Whitmore corp and some other men Mike didn't recognize, as well as_ surprise, surprise_, Scottie. Harvey looked serious and all business-like, so did Scottie, the rest of the men were engaged in a heated discussion, but it was impossible to tell whether they were arguing or negotiating.

Mike wasn't the only one spying on the scene, pretty much every eye on the floor was stealthily directed towards the meeting, which could only mean that something important was going on. With the corner of his eye, he noticed the red flash of Donna's hair as the woman joined him for observation. "Fill me in," he told her without turning his head.

Donna narrowed her eyes at him and then tilted her head, "Being late, bags under your eyes, Harvey asking me to deliver the work to your desk instead of summoning you and now you are asking me to fill you in, which means that for some reason you are not in the know..."

"Yes yes, Miss 'high-functioning sociopath', your perception skills are as sharp as ever," Mike cut her off before she voiced her conclusion about their break up. He really didn't need to hear it right now. "Now, can you tell me what is happening in there?" He purposely kept his eyes on the meeting, refusing to see Donna's reaction to the news.

"An acquisition, if it works out," she said, her voice void of any emotion, "Scottie's clients are small but successful, they could help Whitmore corp branch out into the field they originally wanted through the merger."

Hmm, an acquisition instead of a merger… why didn't _he_ think of that? "Higher risk, higher reward," Mike mused rubbing his forehead.

"Yep, and by the looks of it, she just saved Harvey's name on the wall," Donna remarked, as the men started nodding and shaking hands.

Mike felt a sharp stab of jealousy. "Isn't it boring being so fucking _perfect_ all the time," he mumbled bitterly. He was supposed to be happy for Harvey… and he kinda was… he just wished he was the one to save the day. Not _Scottie_. Not the perfect submissive that beat him in every aspect of his life.

Donna waved her hand with a chuckle, "Nah, I got used to that," then seeing Mike's confused face, she cleared her throat somewhat awkwardly, "Oh, you weren't talking about me."

Mike was about to reassure her that her "perfectness" was never in question when he saw Harvey envelop Scottie in a bear-hug and the words froze on his lips as he stared at the scene.

"Don't."

"Huh?" he turned to Donna.

"Don't do it," she repeated.

"And what exactly do you think I'm going to do?" he huffed, shaking his head. He unclenched the fists, that his palms somehow folded into and massaged the marks from where the nails sunk into the flesh painfully.

"I don't know, but whatever you were about to, just don't."

"I'm a big boy Donna, I'm not gonna make a scene," he snapped, running a hand through his hair in irritation. He hated how much he actually wanted to make a scene, despite all his claims about being an adult. He wanted Harvey to feel at least a shred of his pain. To experience the horrible hollow feeling of hurt that kept squeezing his chest, or suffer through a fucking subdrop that left him feeling weak and worthless.

Harvey finally noticed him and their eyes locked for a moment. The Dom whispered something to Scottie and then made his way right towards Mike, his gaze focused on him with intensity and determination.

Mike felt as if the air in his lungs was suddenly replaced with panic, "I have to go," he muttered and all but fled the crime scene.

_Great, just great. Smooth as fuck, not embarrassing at all, _he berated himself as he hurried towards the elevator. He groaned realizing that he never gave Donna the files he finished proofing, which made his vanishing act all the more humiliating. Facing Harvey proved to be way harder than he thought.

xxx

* * *

xxx

The next morning Mike was greeted by Louis waiting at his cubicle, and based on past experience it never meant anything good. He still needed to deliver the work for Harvey, preferably before the Dom made it to the office, so he hoped he will be able to shake Louis off fairly quickly.

"Mike, you missed your drug test yesterday."

"Huh?"

"It's 'pee in the cup' time," Louis waved the cup in front of Mike's face making the sub grimace and then blanch.

_Oh my god, I'll fail it!_ It never occurred to him, that it could be time for that again and there was no way in hell his urine was cannabinoids free after his overindulgent weekend.

"I don't have time for this now," Mike groused as he quickly grabbed the files, ready to run, but then he saw Harvey coming into the bullpen, effectively cutting off his escape route. _For fuck's sake. Since when does he come to work this early?_

"Actually, I need to talk to you," he turned around urging Louis in the other direction, feeling stupid and caught out by Harvey once more, but unable to face him nonetheless.

"What is it?" Louis asked when they entered the file room which offered some privacy for the conversation.

"Huh?" Mike turned to him confused. He was so busy trying to get away from Harvey he kinda forgot why he dragged Louis away from the bullpen.

"You said you needed to talk to me."

"Oh right… uhm, I actually can't take the drug test, Louis."

"Why not?"

Several options went through Mike's head and before he had the chance to properly analyze any of them, his mouth just blurted the truth. "Because I'll test positive for THC… and maybe some other stuff as well since I got the shittiest trip ever from those drop-suppressors."

Louis's face went through several stages of surprise, suspicion, disbelief and then ended on something that achingly resembled concern.

"Remember how I got beat up, right?" Mike pointed at the faint marks on his face, "I dropped really, _really_ badly. And I actually never dropped before, so… I kinda overdosed on meds and then just smoked and drank and then smoked some more…" he trailed off, hiding his hands in the pockets of his trousers feeling sheepish. He didn't actually tell anyone about the drop. Not Trevor, not Rachel, not even Grams.

"You poor thing, you are not supposed to go through a subdrop alone," Louis scolded him gently - the way one would scold a small puppy that made a mess because it didn't know any better, "Why didn't you call me?"

Mike swallowed the 'why _would_ I call you?', Louis seemed genuinely concerned and Mike needed to win his sympathy in order to get out of the drug test. "I don't actually have your phone number, Louis. Besides, I wouldn't want to inconvenience you."

"Nonsense. This was obviously a case of emergency, and in such cases, when you need a hero, Louis Litt is your guy."

Mike nodded, trying hard not to cringe too visibly at Louis's proclamation.

"Are you ok now? Do you still need me to call you names, force you on your knees or smack your butt?"

Mike lost the cringe battle then, closing his eyes with a grimace, he tried to exorcise the evil images that Louis just put in his mind. "Only if you want me to drop again, Louis," he croaked, his mouth going dry.

"Oh Mike, I don't know what to do." Louis was patting his thigh nervously, no doubt searching for some absurd way to make Mike feel better.

"How about you forget about the drug testing Louis, that would help," Mike offered, hoping to halt this conversation before Louis completely killed him with cringe.

"What? Oh yeah, sure sure," Louis nodded absentmindedly, "Ha! I know exactly what you need, Mike!"

Mike tried to keep his face impassive, but the nervous grunt still escaped him. Louis took it as an encouragement though.

"You need to go mudding! With me. Today."

"Uhm.. Louis I'm not sure…"

"No no no. No excuses. We are going. It will make you feel a thousand times better. Once you try it, you will never want to leave. Trust me."

_Oh, fuck it. How bad could it be really?_ "Al-alright."

"Great. 7 pm. It's a date!" Louis smacked his shoulder hard and marched out of the file room in high spirits.

"No, Louis, it's not!" Mike called after him, wincing. He kinda dreaded the whole concept of 'mudding with Louis', but at the same time, he couldn't help noticing how excited the Switch was about it. And as much as Mike didn't want to feel any sympathy towards him, he recognized the unmistakable signs of loneliness that Louis clearly suffered from. And to that Mike could relate.

xxx

* * *

xxx

The next day Mike decided that he was done with running from Harvey. It was embarrassing, immature and only got him in trouble. Mike wasn't even sure which of the recent events was the most traumatizing - watching Harvey and Scottie together, breaking up with him, or seeing Louis in full frontal in the mud - a picture that once seen, couldn't be unseen. And the latter could have been totally avoided if he wasn't so intent on avoiding Harvey.

Mike figured that there was no better way to show that he got over himself than to start working on the acquisition. There were tons of work to be done and Mike knew that Rachel will be all too happy to pass this one over.

He pulled late hours, going through inconsistencies, ambiguities, and other principal as well as seemingly unimportant details of every document concerning the deal. It took him a couple of days to go over everything on the acquisition, but by Thursday afternoon, he had a comprehensive workload to go over with Harvey. Armed with a fat folder, and professional determination he made his way upstairs to finally face his boss and do what he was hired for - make Harvey's life easier.

"Mike!" Harvey uttered surprised when Mike entered through the glass door.

Mike immediately noticed that there was something off about him, which Mike couldn't quite place. Sure he looked tired and underslept, but that was not new. Harvey has been stressing over the merger for the past couple of weeks, even so, the circles under his eyes darkened to an almost unhealthy level.

"Hey, I came to talk about the acquisition, I went over the paperwork and I think it needs some changes," Mike said, summoning his business-persona and trying to calm his racing heart.

"Hey Mike," came the female voice from the couch.

Damn it. How could he have missed her? Mike looked at Harvey and the Dom looked nervous and uneasy and perhaps even anxious - all the emotions that Mike expected to see (but didn't) in the club when he "caught" him with Scottie sitting on his knees.

"Oh. Good that you are here, Scottie. It's actually better to go over this with both of you. Since some of the changes are to protect your client as well," Mike replied, giving them both a rather forced smile.

See, he could be professional if he wanted to!

He sat at the desk and took out the paperwork he prepared. "So, I guess I'll start here, this formulation here could lead to unnecessary exposure…"

For the next two hours, Mike went over different details of the acquisition, pointing out potential problems and offering solutions, that he came up with, backing it up with the market data. Scottie worked with him, arguing on behalf of her client, while Harvey mostly kept quiet and just observed. Mike felt as if the Dom didn't even care, because whenever he looked at Harvey, he was staring at Mike's face rather than at the documents Mike was talking about.

Mike finally realized what was off in Harvey's looks - he wasn't shaved. In a couple of months that Mike knew him, he has never seen the Dom skip his morning shaving routine. Harvey was as pedantic as they come when it concerned hygiene. Thankfully he never forced Mike to follow his example and Mike never missed an opportunity to tease him about having an OCD, which in turn never failed to get him a sore butt.

_Oh, don't go there. Work. Focus._

And work he did. He found Scottie to be indeed a kick-ass attorney, smart-mouthed and fierce. She crushed some of his suggestions like nobody's business, but just as readily agreed with others. Mike didn't want to admit it, but he kinda liked her. Ok, perhaps that's a stretch, he still hated her, but he also rather enjoyed the legal sparring with a witty sub.

"Alright rookie, I have to say I'm impressed," Scottie flashed him a friendly smile and Mike couldn't help blushing a bit at the praise. "I now understand what Harvey sees in you."

"He is one of a kind," Harvey nodded, his eyes never leaving Mike, his smile warm and gentle, but at the same time sad and uncertain. Mike felt the lump form in his throat as he watched the face that he missed so fucking much, it hurt.

"Uh, well, I think that's all," he stuttered awkwardly, averting his gaze.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you. Scottie if you could please excuse us." Even though Harvey posed it as a request, his tone made it obvious that it wasn't one. But Scottie didn't seem offended at being kicked out of the room, she offered Harvey a small smile and got off her seat.

Mike panicked darting from his seat as well. His heart was about to jump out of his chest and he was sure that if he stayed another minute with Harvey looking at him this way, all his perfectly rehearsed professional attitude will crumble like a house of cards.

"Sorry, I have to go, Grams visiting hours are ending soon and I promised to stop by today. See ya," he backed out of the office rather ungraciously, looking anywhere but at Harvey. Not only because he had a hard time maintaining eye contact after that fake excuse, but also because the uncharacteristic sadness and vulnerability on Harvey's face were throwing Mike's already conflicted feelings into a painful and messy turmoil.

xxx

* * *

xxx

"Drop whatever you are doing, we have a situation."

Mike gave a startled gasp. He was so deep in his proofing, he didn't notice Harvey standing by his cubicle. He eyed the Dom with surprise - it's been a while since Harvey fetched him in the bullpen (if we don't count the last time when Mike ran away before Harvey had the chance).

"Uh, ok, I'll just finish the…"

"Which part of 'drop whatever you are doing' didn't you understand?" Harvey barked irritably.

_Well, hello asshole. Long time, no see. _Whatever tormented Harvey yesterday, it was gone today. The clean-shaven confident Dom was back and as much as Mike didn't enjoy being snapped at, he was kinda relieved at the same time. This Harvey he was used to. This Harvey he knew how to deal with.

He grabbed his jacket and followed the Dom into the garage, sliding into the passenger seat of Harvey's Tesla with aching familiarity.

"So what's going on?" Mike asked as Harvey plunged the car into the morning traffic of Lower Manhattan.

"Trent Devon is freaking out. I didn't get much over the phone but we better get to him before he does something stupid. I need you since you worked his case and know his company inside out."

Mike only nodded, choosing not to pry any more information out of him, seeing how annoyed the Dom was. Weirdly enough, the situation was so common, Mike didn't feel uneasy, despite it being the first time they were alone together after the break-up.

Perhaps Mike will manage to move on after all. It was not that it didn't hurt anymore, it still did. But he was no longer panicking because when it came to their work relationship, it felt like a safe ground with clear rules. Harvey was his short-tempered asshole boss and Mike was a paralegal nobody. Unlike their private relationship, the power disbalance in their work relationship was expected and accepted by both parties. No grey areas, no ambiguities, no room for unnecessary hopes.

Yes, they were going to be just fine.

***

Mike must have dozed off because when he opened his eyes, they were not in New York anymore. The freeway was surrounded by forests and just as he was about to ask Harvey where were they going, the Dom pulled over.

Mike looked at him quizzically, waiting for an explanation, but Harvey just sat there rubbing his forehead nervously. Mike looked around. They were alone in the middle of nowhere in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station, which must have gone out of use at least a couple of years ago, given the pumps were all covered in grass and mold. The building didn't look much better, with several windows broken, shattered glass covering the dirty blacktop area in front of it. All in all, a perfect setting for a creepy horror movie.

_Aaaand this is where he goes, 'Surprise Motherfucker!' and tells me he has been the serial killer all along..._

"Harvey? Aren't we in a hurry?"

Harvey turned to him, studying his face. "No, actually we are not."

Mike narrowed his eyes, "Let me guess, there is no emergency with Trent Devon, is there?"

"No, there isn't, Trent is on vacation in Florida," Harvey admitted, confirming Mike's suspicions. "I just needed to talk to you." And there it was - the haunted sad look that was killing Mike yesterday.

"Are you kidding me? Where the hell are we Harvey? This… this is kidnapping!" Mike exclaimed, waving his hands in outrage.

"Not really, since you are on the clock. So technically it's work."

"And what kind of work are we doing here, pray tell? Providing legal counsel to the local rats?" Mike snapped sarcastically.

"Mike…"

But Mike refused to listen to him, he unbuckled the seatbelt and got out of the car, fuming with indignation.

"What was I supposed to do, you wouldn't talk to me!" the Dom argued, following suit.

"This is just so YOU, Harvey! You just can't take no for an answer! How about I don't wanna talk to you, because I'm not fucking READY to talk to you!" Mike yelled, slamming the car door with a loud bang. "But no - everything, fucking EVERYTHING has to be your way!"

Harvey winced at the rough manhandling of his precious Tesla but didn't comment on Mike's temper tantrum. He looked anxious and lost as he shrugged, "I don't know how to be any other way."

"Well, learn to, goddamit!"

"I'm sorry I hurt you, pup."

"Fuck you, Harvey. Just fuck you!" Mike turned on his heel, scuttling away from him angrily. Not that he could really go very far. Harvey picked this place well, there was no running away from him now.

And sure enough, the Dom locked the car and followed him. "Mike listen, me and Scottie - we go way back. We scene, we have a good time, we part ways. That's it. That night I was mad and drunk and had my self-esteem stomped into the ground…"

"Yeah right, MY fault!" Mike huffed without turning his head or slowing down.

"I never said it was! Stop running away for fuck's sake!" Harvey growled in frustration. He didn't force Mike's dynamic and he didn't have to. Mike reached the end of the parking lot and unless he wanted to make a dash through the woods, there was nowhere to go anyway. He sighed and turned to face the Dom.

"The point is, you saw how miserable I was. And Scottie, she just always made me feel… in control."

"Well, good for you, you are perfect for each other!" Mike snapped, feeling the jealousy getting the best of him.

Harvey threw his hands in the air in exasperation, "Mike, I told you - nothing happened! I don't wanna be with her!"

"Well, it sure didn't look like you wanna be with me! And it's fine, I get it, not like you are the first one!"

Harvey grimaced pinching the bridge of his nose. "I made a mistake."

"Harvey Specter doesn't make mistakes," Mike scoffed. And yes, he was being a dick, but he was hurt and he felt quite within his right to act this way.

"You stubborn bull! You wanna hear it? Fine! It was too much. You were too much!" Harvey snapped, finally losing his temper.

"You said there was nothing I could do, that you wouldn't know how to deal with," Mike threw Harvey's words back at him.

"And you said that you will take it as a challenge. Well, you won!" Harvey sighed in defeat. Yelling at each other wasn't getting them anywhere. "Mike, you are not the easy submissive, you are the challenging one and yes - I just couldn't deal with your defiance at that point, even though I knew you had my best interests in mind. And I'm sorry. The truth is, I want to give _us_ a chance."

"We_ had_ a chance, Harvey! It didn't _work_." If only they had this conversation a week ago, before that horrible scene in the club, Mike would have been dancing with joy at those words. Now he was just too hurt and too stubborn.

Harvey folded arms over his chest and tilted his head to the side, "Then why didn't you take Tanner up on his offer?"

Mike caught his breath for a second, surprised at the unexpected turn the conversation suddenly got. "He told you?" He certainly didn't expect Tanner to talk to Harvey about poaching his employee. Unless he wanted to rub it in his face, of course. But since Mike never agreed to the job, there wasn't much to rub.

"He did. He told me exactly what you said. That loyalty might be conditional but…"

"Don't!" Mike's voice broke as he turned away unable to deal with his emotions anymore. Unable to face the fact that Harvey _knew_. He never asked for those stupid feelings, and he couldn't bear hearing Harvey voice them.

"Mike, _please._"

There was this word again. Piercing through Mike's defenses, attacking him right at his core. What good were all these carefully constructed protective walls, if all it took was one word to break them down? "This is not fair. I don't wanna fall for you," he whispered, not trusting his voice to hold, as he brushed the stray tear from his eye.

Mike heard the Dom approach him, the heat radiating from his body as he stood right behind him, so close, but not quite touching him. "Well, that's too bad, because I already did and I'm not letting you go."

Mike turned in surprise, "You…?" he trailed off, just staring at Harvey dumbfounded, desperately hoping he didn't misunderstand. He had been so used to searching for signs that his feelings were reciprocated, that now when he has been bluntly told so, he was afraid to believe it.

"I _do._ For a while now actually. It just took a couple of sleepless nights and a door slammed in my face for me to realize it," Harvey reached out and cupped Mike's jawline with his hand. Mike didn't flinch, instead, he all but melted into Harvey's affectionate touch, yearning for it too fucking much for too fucking long.

"And as the best closer in New York, I'll make it my mission to close Michael James Ross."

That was probably the sappiest thing he ever heard Harvey say. The Dom cradled his face tenderly and leaned down to kiss him. And that's probably where one could roll credits to the tunes of some toothrottingly sweet romantic song, but Mike managed to sneak out from Harvey's embrace at the last second.

"Well, I hope you are authorized for a high payout then because it's gonna cost you!" he declared, and although his tone was all business-like, his eyes were grinning mischievously.

Harvey suppressed a chuckle and adapted an equally wannabe serious face, "Name your terms."

"I want a toothbrush!"

"Huh?"

"A toothbrush. In your bathroom," Mike explained feeling slightly stupid that this was the first thing that came to mind, "And a shelf in your wardrobe - for my stuff!"

Harvey laughed, "You got it."

"And a key to your apartment!"

"Done."

Well, that went easier than Mike expected…

"And we are getting tested, I can't stand condoms any longer!" he stated resolutely. There. That should have been the first thing he said because as far as Mike was concerned, all his insecurities came from the ambiguity of their relationship status.

"Sure."

"You realize, that means exclusivity, right?"

"Of course."

And apparently, Harvey was all on board with that, which begged the question: why the fuck has neither of them ever mentioned it before?!

"And you will open up about your past relationships and family."

"Mike…"

"Non-negotiable." He knew this one was not easy for Harvey. The lack of communication and Harvey's reluctance to share stuff with him was another instrument Harvey used to distance himself from Mike, and if they were to make this work, Harvey will have to get out of his comfort zone and bare himself to Mike, just as Mike kept baring himself to Harvey through his submission.

Harvey clenched his jaw, fighting the inner battle, but eventually just sighed and nodded, "Alright."

Mike finally cracked a smile, unable to hold it any longer. To say he was happy would be an immense understatement.

"And you will say the L-word."

"Don't push it."

"Really? THAT'S the dealbreaker?"

"Shut up!"

With that Harvey grabbed his tie, pulled him closer and attacked Mike's mouth with a hungry passionate kiss, successfully silencing any further smart-mouth comebacks.

And yes, maybe Mike should have milked it a bit more before giving in. Their relationship still clearly needed a lot of work. I mean what kind of confession is 'I do' anyway? Let's face it, on a scale from pathetic to perfect it would rank 'meh' at best. But knowing Harvey… well, let's call it 'baby steps'.

Besides, perfect is boring anyway.

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!  
I'm so excited to finish this story! *jumps around squealing*  
Hope you enjoyed it, I'd love to hear your thoughts=)  
I'm halfway through the epilogue, so stay tuned.


	16. Epilogue

**A Few Months Later**

Harvey entered his condo and was greeted with a wonderful smell coming from the kitchen. He smiled fondly, taking off his shoes and hanging his coat next to Mike's. Ever since Harvey gave Mike the keys, the sub slowly but surely moved into his apartment. Neither of them ever addressed this gradual conquest of Harvey's private space since it seemed to be to everyone's satisfaction. Harvey never thought how much pleasure he would get coming home to find his sub already there waiting for him.

Or perhaps not exactly _waiting,_ Mike was engaged in some video game, the sounds of kicks and punches coming from the living room.

"Aaand an uppercut, booyaah! Flawless victory!" Mike effused, flipping the bird towards the TV. Harvey leaned against the wall watching his dork of a sub with amusement.

"You think you can take me? Just you wait. Nono, there is no running away from me! _Get ooover heeeere_!" Mike mimicked the phrase of Scorpion's signature move pulling the opponent closer with his kunai.

"Having fun?" Harvey remarked, finally making his presence known.

Mike flicked his gaze towards him and his face broke into a mischievous grin, "Hi! Guess who is the absolute _Master_ of the Mortal Kombat 3 Ultimate? Hint, you are looking at him!"

Harvey chuckled shaking his head, "You are such a child."

"And you are such an old man. Come see this!" Mike pointed at the screen that darkened with a menacing dun-dun-duuun sound as Scorpion took off his mask and burned the defeated opponent alive. "Fatality!" Mike parodied the mechanical voice of the console game.

"Somebody is getting a spanktality, if he doesn't greet me properly," Harvey threatened with mock sternness.

"Yeah, yeah, wait your turn Specter, I have Shao Kahn to defeat first," Mike replied cheekily, without taking his eyes off the screen.

Harvey felt his palm twitching, Mike was clearly _in the mood_. No problem, Harvey will be all too happy to oblige him. He walked in front of the TV, shielding it as much as he could, and leveled the sub with a stern glare.

"Is that how you speak to your Dom?"

"Harveeeey, let me finish the gaaame first," Mike complained, stretching his neck to see the screen behind him.

Harvey smirked but didn't move, "Aren't you a bit old for this whining?"

Mike's eyes finally snapped in Harvey's direction, "Yes, Daddy," he replied sarcastically, adding a good deal of lisp to sound babyish.

"Well, now you are in for it, little boy!"

...

Five alarmingly soft smacks later, he righted Mike off his lap and almost laughed at the sub's incredulous expression.

"What? You didn't think I'd actually spank a child, did you?" Harvey asked, raising a sly brow at Mike's involuntary but very cute pout. "Now, I believe there is a corner with your name on it, young man." He patted Mike on the butt, nudging him towards the corner.

The sub grimaced ready to argue, but Harvey shook his finger at him, "Uh-uh-uh, do as _Daddy_ says."

Mike knew that Harvey was absolutely not into the whole ageplay - that's why it was such an effective way to tease him. But he had to give it to the Dom, he didn't even cringe as he called himself Daddy this time.

Mike hated the corner, nothing changed in that department. Harvey mostly spared him the boring punishment, unless he wanted to make a point or was in a dickish mood. Today it was probably the latter, but since Mike was the one to goad Harvey into punishing him, he swallowed the cheeky remark and dragged his feet towards the corner. With a bit of luck, the Dom won't make him stay there very long.

"Are we learning a lesson over there?" Harvey called, keeping his tone stern, though Mike knew perfectly well it was all a ruse.

"That you are a dick with no sense of humor?"

Mouthing off in the corner was a high-risk, high-reward kind of thing. If it worked, he was in for some proper impact play, if it didn't then his corner time could stretch to a very unpleasant amount of time.

Harvey snorted, "That naughty subs don't get what they want," he remarked, sounding amused rather than provoked.

Mike didn't agree. From his experience, naughty subs got exactly what they wanted. Unless they pushed too far, then they got what they "deserved"... but in Mike's case, it was often the same thing.

However, seeing Harvey's apparent refusal to be provoked tonight, Mike decided to play it safe and opted for a submissive retreat.

"Yes, Sir."

The more Mike used those words, the more natural it felt to him. He started to even get a kick out of it. Not because he suddenly became a "proper" submissive, but because he knew what those words did to Harvey. Mike didn't have to turn around to know that the Dom was wearing this stupidly pleased expression, probably adjusting his cufflinks or fixing his hair to mask it.

"Good boy, 5 more minutes."

The words of praise went straight to Mike's crotch, even though the extra 5 minutes were kind of a mood killer. Harvey rarely stopped the punishment just because Mike gave in. He always made a point that it was up to him to decide whether Mike has had enough or not.

"Alright, you can come out," Harvey called him a couple of minutes later and Mike wasted no time in scuttling over to the Dom. He went to sit on the sofa next to Harvey, but the Dom pulled his wrist making him sit on his lap - something that Mike secretly loved but never admitted to.

Harvey grabbed his chin forcing the sub to look at him, "I hope you also aged some in that corner if you want to have sex tonight."

"And if I want to have sex right now?"

"Then I suggest no more cheek unless you want to be gagged for the rest of the evening."

"That's not possible, Sir. I wouldn't be able to eat dinner then, and my Dom is very anal about me having at least 3 proper meals a day…"

Harvey shook his head with a chuckle. "I warned you, pup." He reached out to the drawer under the conference table and took out the ball gag.

"Hands behind your back," he ordered and then took off his tie, using it to tie Mike's hands. He could, of course, use the actual cuffs, but he liked to have his tie on the sub and the bound was symbolic anyway.

"Open," he held a ball gag in front of Mike's face. The sub grimaced but did as he was told, allowing Harvey to tie it around his head. Harvey took a cushion from the sofa, placed it at his feet and then snapped his fingers pointing at it.

Mike sighed and got off Harvey's lap, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He kneeled on the cushion and cast his eyes down in a sign of submission. No, kneeling was still very much not Mike's style. He wasn't big on gags either. But he did it anyway. Not because he somehow acquired the need to please the Doms, but because pleasing the person you love had a whole different flavor and didn't need to be justified with personal preferences.

Harvey sighed with content pouring himself a glass of scotch. He loved when Mike submitted, since it didn't come naturally to him, it always felt like a treat. "Hmm, silence at last. _Seen_ but not _heard_, just the way a sub should be," Harvey mused, sipping on the whiskey.

Mike snapped his eyes back up, frowning at the Dom. He knew Harvey didn't mean that at all, he would never be with Mike if he actually believed that. He was just using the opportunity to tease him.

"I'm glad you agree, pup," Harvey smiled, ruffling Mike's hair as if he was an actual puppy.

"I 'ont," Mike protested through the gag.

"Sorry, can't understand you."

"A-hole," Mike grumbled and was immediately cuffed up his head.

"Tsk, that was rude," Harvey scolded him, though his eyes were smirking something fierce.

Mike glared at him, thinking how conveniently Harvey suddenly started understanding him.

"Yes, NOW I understand you, huh?" Harvey read Mike's thoughts with a chuckle. "You are too easy, pup," he leaned down planting a chaste kiss on Mike's forehead and then gently pushed Mike's head to rest against his knee. "Be good, I'll finish my drink, then we gonna have whatever is smelling so deliciously from the kitchen and then I'll fuck you silly, just the way you like it."

xxx

* * *

xxx

"So what's the occasion?" Harvey asked as Mike was pouring them both some wine to go with the turkey he just got out of the oven.

"Huh?"

"Well, you prepared quite a feast, we are clearly celebrating something."

"Uhm, yeah actually," Mike admitted with a shy smile as he handed Harvey the paper.

It was an acceptance letter from Columbia University addressed to Michael James Ross. Harvey's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "How?"

"Pearson - Specter decided to make an investment in a promising employee," Mike replied smugly.

Harvey's happy smile faltered, "You went to Jessica? Behind my back?"

Mike sighed. He kinda dreaded this reaction. Harvey kept bringing up the topic of education fairly often pressuring Mike to apply somewhere. Mike kept saying how he hasn't saved enough money yet and Harvey kept dismissing it as an excuse because he will _'obviously'_ pay for everything.

"No Harvey," Mike replied in a calm manner, the way a doctor would address a difficult patient, "I went to see _managing partner_ who decides these things, and renegotiated my terms of employment." Mike looked at Harvey imploringly, willing him to understand. He really didn't want to argue over this, he wanted to celebrate.

Harvey dropped his gaze to the plate, falling into a passive-aggressive silence, as he cut a piece of turkey with a frown.

"Come on, Harvey, don't be mad. You said you won't fight my battles for me. I wanted to get the sponsorship of the company because I am _valuable_, not because I'm sleeping with a name partner," Mike tried to reason with him. He could understand Harvey's frustration, but he still wished he got a different reaction. I mean, would it kill him to just pat Mike on the back and tell him he did a good job?

"You could have told me," Harvey replied sulkily, the hurt clear in his voice, despite the obvious attempt to mask it.

"And I would have if I believed that you are not going to interfere."

Harvey sighed in defeat and Mike knew he hit the nail on the head. They both knew that Harvey had control issues - well not really issues, every Dom had those, it was in their nature. But Mike was not ready to defer all the decision-making to the Dom, and Harvey just had to accept that if he wanted to be with Mike. And most of the time he did… it just wasn't easy.

Ever since Mike told Harvey about the subdrop… well _told_ is a strong word, Harvey had sort of 'tortured' it out of him when Mike finally ended up on the spanking bench for the whole drug-mafia-grandma-kidnapping fiasco. After Mike confessed how poorly he dealt with his subdrop, Harvey got mad… like _really_ mad, like '_beating somebody's ass, who was conveniently strapped to the spanking bench'_ mad. And although his anger was originally directed at Mike for being so immature as to not ask for help like every other 'normal' sub would, he quickly got over it, when he realized that dealing with subdrop was actually HIS responsibility, which he failed spectacularly.

Harvey always held himself to a certain standard and the fact that he failed at the most basic duty of every Dom, was not an easy pill to swallow. But as crushing as it was for the proud Dom, it also helped him realize that he had no business taking over responsibility for Mike's life choices since his own decision-making was flawed at best. The need to control his sub's decisions was still absolutely there, but for the sake of his good conscience, he managed to limit those needs to the areas in which Mike submitted his control over to him. (And yes he fought tooth and nail for the brat to start eating properly.)

"So, how did it go?" Harvey asked, attempting to get over himself and keep a neutral expression.

Mike cast him a grateful smile, "Well, I showed Jessica Tanner's offer and told her to beat it."

"And she did?"

"No. She looked at it for like 1 second and told me 'Good luck'."

Harvey threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "Puppy got owned," he snickered, looking a bit too pleased for Mike's taste.

"Hey, we negotiated and reached an agreement that worked for both," he replied defensively.

"Let's hear it," Harvey gibed with a smug expression.

"Well, we went down to 150 k a year, kept the flexible schedule, but with 10 fixed hours of paralegal work a week."

"That's more than you are doing now," the Dom noted, still highly amused.

"I know, but I can twist a lot of stuff into being paralegal work, so that's fine," Mike waved his hand dismissively and then took a deep breath, "I'm also taking over the company's pro-bono cases," he added, his voice wavering slightly.

Harvey froze mid cutting. He carefully chewed on a piece of turkey and then put his silverware down, wiping his mouth with a napkin, his smile long gone. Mike watched this change of demeanor with a painfully familiar sinking feeling. The temperature in the room dropped a couple degrees when Harvey finally looked at Mike, his eyes flashing threateningly.

"Now, you are in real trouble!" he growled, standing up.

Mike darted from his chair, backing away from the oh-so-pissed Dom, "Harvey, I couldn't do anything, it was one of the conditions Jessica made."

"And now I'm adding lying to the list. That one was totally your initiative!" Harvey snarled, trying to grab Mike over the table.

Mike avoided his hand, smartly positioning himself to keep the table between them. However, Harvey was not in the mood for cat and mouse play.

"You come here this instant!" he thundered, fortifying his command with dominance.

_Uh-oh._

Mike's shoulders slouched as he slowly dragged his feet towards Harvey, trying to mollify the Dom with a guilty sad puppy look on his way.

Harvey ignored the pleading stare and as soon as Mike was within his reach, he grabbed the sub and bent him under his arm wasting no time as he started peppering his butt with sharp swats.

Mike yelped but didn't fight Harvey knowing that this was the likely outcome all along. He still tried to make his case though.

"Harvey, I'm sorry, I will still help you too."

"No you won't, with school and paralegal work and your fucking desire to save whales and spotted owls, you will have no fucking time!" the Dom growled, not letting up.

"Harveeey!"

"You are MY associate, Mike! Mine!"

(Did I mention how possessive Harvey was?)

"But it's something I _want_ to do! Harvey, you can't be mad about it," Mike argued, wincing at the sting that Harvey's hard palm kept reapplying to his butt. It was a weak attempt to placate the enraged Dom but to his surprise, Harvey righted him back up.

"I know!" the Dom admitted in frustration, "Is that why you didn't tell me? Because you don't want to work with me anymore?" He turned away from Mike as if not wanting to hear the actual answer to that.

"No Harvey, I love working with you!" Mike reassured him hastily. Hurting Harvey was the last thing he wanted. The Dom had his own list of insecurities, which tended to turn up at the most unexpected situations. Mike hugged him from behind, resting his chin on Harvey's shoulder, "Harvey, I want to help people, that's why I wanted to become a lawyer in the first place. You know that. But I'm still gonna help you kick some of those corporate asses too."

Harvey turned around and snatched Mike from the ground in a bridal carry, bringing out a squeal, a blush and a soft protest from the sub. "You better," he told him with mock sternness as he started towards the bedroom.

"Harvey, what about dinner?"

"It can wait. First I need to take care of my sub, he is in severe need of my undivided attention."

Mike giggled like a schoolgirl, fluttering his lashes at him. "Is that so, Mr. Specter?"

"Uh-huh, we'll see if a proper punishing fuck can cure you out of your humanitarian tendencies."

"Can't promise it will, but please do try, Sir!"

xxx

* * *

xxx

Mike woke up at night to the sound of a quiet cursing coming from the living room. He checked the bed and indeed Harvey was missing. Mike had a pretty good idea what the Dom was doing at 2 am in the morning, (after all, that's why he bought the game) but he still went to see for himself.

Yep, it was exactly what he expected. The best closer in New York and one of the best paid US attorneys sneaked out of bed at night to play an old console game. And by the looks of it, he was having his ass handed to him.

"Busted," Mike whispered, creeping in behind the Dom.

Harvey gave a slight flinch and then cleared his throat awkwardly, clearly embarrassed from being caught red-handed. "It's not as easy as I remember. I used to own this game."

"Yeah, Donna said, you won some MK arcade tournament. This one was not easy to find."

Harvey narrowed his eyes, the understanding finally dawning on him, "You got it for me." It was a statement, rather than a question.

Mike nodded, "Of course I got it for you, it's pretty much an antique by today's standards." He plugged a second controller into the console and gave Harvey a cocky smile, "And now I'm going to wipe the floor with your Sub-zero."

They played a couple of games and the closest Mike got to wiping the floor with Harvey's character was barely getting it to half of the health bar... Harvey absolutely kicked his ass, several times defeating him in a complete shutout fashion and then finishing him off with some gruesome fatality for added humiliation. Needless to say, Mike was swiftly dethroned from his self-appointed 'Master of Mortal Kombat' title.

"Puppy has still much to learn," Harvey remarked teasingly, ruffling the hair of the sulking sub with affection. It was such a nice considerate gift. And it was not even the nostalgia factor that brought the ultimate pleasure, but the fact that Mike took the time and effort to find it.

"Thank you," he said, hoping those two words could convey the strength of his feelings.

Mike returned the smile and then dropped his eyes to his lap grinning as if he remembered some private joke, "Well you deserved a treat."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You said something... something very nice. Yesterday, when you thought I was asleep…" Even in the darkness of the room, he could see Harvey's cheeks turn crimson and he couldn't resist calling him out on it, "You are blushing."

"I'm not blushing. And you have no business pretending to be asleep!"

"But then I would never hear you say it!" Mike argued, relishing in Harvey's embarrassment, "Aww, you look so cute right now," he teased him mercilessly.

"Shut up!"

"Come on, Harvey, say it," he nuzzled into Harvey's neck kissing it softly. It's not that the Dom would not show affection... but there's just so many times one can stand hearing "I care about you" over and over again. There was a way better word for it and Harvey kept shying away from it for months!

Harvey pounced on top of Mike pinning him down on the sofa and holding his wrists above his head in a firm dominant grip.

"You impossible, pushy, wretched, disobedient, brat!"

"You forgot 'mouthy'."

"I love you!"

The smile that took over Mike's face could have probably accelerated global warming, if Harvey didn't save the planet by promptly wiping it off his face with a hungry demanding kiss, successfully reducing the brat to the needy writhing mess under him and reestablishing Harvey's self esteem.

"I lo-" Mike didn't manage to finish those words as Harvey kissed him again.

"I lov-" another attempt was silenced the same way.

"Har- mmm!" Mike hummed in protest pushing against the Dom. "You won't even let me say it back!"

"That's because _my_ love is not conditional either," Harvey breathed against Mike's ear, biting it seductively.

Mike felt like all his braincells turned to mush as the stupid "aww" expression took over his face. Who would have thought that Harvey was capable of such sappiness?

"Wait till I tell Donna what a hopeless romantic you actually are."

"Do that and you will never sit comfortably again."

Mike couldn't help the mischevious grin, "Promise?"

* * *

**Thank you for reading=)**

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Upper Hand](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310312) by [Red_Box](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Red_Box/pseuds/Red_Box)


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